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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26447770">Half truths</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chucychito/pseuds/Chucychito'>Chucychito</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Warriors - Erin Hunter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Butterfly Effect, Canon Divergence - Book Series: The Power of Three, Jayfeather's a protag that alone means there's gonna be a lot of angst, Strap in boys it's gonna be a long one, i hope i made lionblaze's pov more interesting than it is in the books, pretty much a rewrite of the sight</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:02:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>18,091</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26447770</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chucychito/pseuds/Chucychito</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“What’s this?” Firestar asked in confusion. “Who are these kits?”<br/>Leafpool took a deep breath and stepped up beside her sister. “We found these kits abandoned in twolegplace,” she announced, “they would’ve died if we hadn’t saved them.”<br/>_<br/>Squirrelflight doesn't go along with the idea to say that the kits are hers. Leafpool comes up with a different story. Trying to make sure her kits are accepted, even as outsiders, she tells everyone how the three are prophesized, without all the "kin of your kin" details.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>89</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The beginning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thanks again to FrickinGwaine for editing.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Squirrelflight! You’re back!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With kits? I didn’t even know you were expecting!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no,” Squirrelflight said quickly, stomach lurching. “These aren’t my kits.” She glanced sharply back at Leafpool; the medicine cat had slipped into camp quietly behind her, but everyone was so busy fussing over the new kits no one took notice. Leafpool met her gaze anxiously, working up the courage to speak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Firestar bounded down the rocks from his den, Sandstorm hard on his heels. His eyes were bright as he made to greet them, but then he caught sight of the kits and stopped short. “What’s this?” he asked in confusion. “Who are these kits?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi!” Hollykit chirped, sitting up straighter.  Jaykit was crouched close to the ground beside her, eyes wide and ears twitching. Lionkit was stalking forward not at all sneakily; Squirrelflight hurriedly bent down and dragged him back before he could jump for Firestar’s flicking tail.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look!” Honeykit cried excitedly, tumbling out of the nursery. Her sisters and Berrykit, Mousekit, and Hazelkit hurtled after her, but the kits were quickly stopped by their mothers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t we play with them?” Berrykit whined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait,” Daisy warned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit wriggled impatiently, his tail still caught beneath Squirrelflight’s paw. Hollykit giggled at him, then quieted and shrunk back when all the other kits turned their attention to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leafpool took a deep breath and stepped up beside her sister. “We found these kits abandoned in twolegplace,” she announced, “they would’ve died if we hadn’t saved them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shocked murmurs rippled through the Clan at her words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who would abandon their own kits?” Daisy exclaimed (Leafpool winced).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Poor things!” Brightheart agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a good thing you found them,” Firestar said sincerely, but he was frowning, and there was a worried look in his green eyes. “But I thought StarClan sent you to find a rare herb.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leafpool shifted nervously. “I admit, I wasn’t entirely truthful about why I left. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>thought</span>
  </em>
  <span> that’s what StarClan wanted me to find, but I was wrong. It was never about herbs; they wanted me to find these kits all along. They’re special.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you tell us?” Ashfur piped up. He was staring at them oddly; Squirrelflight had to look away from his intense gaze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Thornclaw said, “it </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> a little odd.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know myself,” Leafpool insisted. “They were quite vague with me. But I’m sure they were what I was meant to find. They—” her voice broke, and she took a moment to clear her throat. “They’re important. Part of a prophecy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Another prophecy?” Brambleclaw’s voice was tense.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great,” Dustpelt grumbled. “Just what we need. More prophecies and more mouths to feed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>kits</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Ferncloud argued plainly, casting her mate a reproachful look. Dustpelt deflated slightly and turned his head away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is this prophecy?” Firestar asked. He was gazing back and forth between the kits and Leafpool grimly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leafpool swallowed thickly. “StarClan did not tell me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s a pro—a proph—” Hollykit stumbled over the word. “A propha sea?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If StarClan didn’t tell you the prophecy, how can we know these kits are prophesied at all?” Spiderleg put in, completely ignoring Hollykit’s question. “If you ask me, we should bring them back to twolegplace. They’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>kittypets</span>
  </em>
  <span>, there’s nothing special about them. Twolegs are probably out looking for them right now.” His tail twitched angrily. “What if they come here looking for them?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Squirrelflight bristled indignantly. “Are you questioning StarClan? They were </span>
  <em>
    <span>abandoned</span>
  </em>
  <span>, mouse-brain, no twolegs are going to look for them here!” She narrowed her eyes. “And kittypets can be just as special as Clan cats!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t say they couldn’t!” Spiderleg protested with a glance at Firestar, even though that’s pretty much exactly what he’d said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Firestar silenced his daughter with a comforting stroke of his tail. “We can’t throw out kits in need, prophecy or no prophecy.” He spoke authoritatively, with no room for argument.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll care for them,” Sandstorm promised. Both Leafpool and Squirrelflight caught her slow blink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leafpool’s mouth felt dry. “Thank you—StarClan thanks you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can stay?” Jaykit squeaked nervously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course you can stay,” Squirrelflight huffed. “We were </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>going to make you leave.” She glared heatedly at Dustpelt and Spiderleg, who scowled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s enough,” Firestar sighed. “These kits are ThunderClan now. Sorreltail, Ferncloud, Daisy, will you help care for them?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, Firestar.” Ferncloud dipped her head respectfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Clan slowly dispersed, muttering and gossiping among themselves. Squirrelflight went to meet Brambleclaw; as soon as she released Lionkit, he met Berrykit half-way and they threw themselves at each other with playful shrieks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Careful, Berrykit!” Daisy called.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollykit looked up at Leafpool. “Everything’s okay now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Leafpool reassured, “everything’s fine, Hollykit.” Sandstorm was gesturing to her beneath the shadow of the high-ledge; Leafpool gently ushered Hollykit and Jaykit towards the nursery. “Why don’t you go meet your new den-mates?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were both still hesitant, but once Hollykit bounded off, Jaykit followed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leafpool gave herself a moment to collect herself. That hadn’t gone exactly as planned, but at least the three had been accepted as part of the Clan. Sandstorm and Firestar clearly weren’t buying her story, but she was sure they wouldn’t tell anyone else. And she trusted her sister whole-heartedly; there was nothing Leafpool had to worry about anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Squaring her shoulders, she went to meet her mother.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>About two moons later, Hollykit, Lionkit, and Jaykit were playing outside the nursery. Leafpool had dropped by earlier with a pretty gray feather for them to play with, and Hollykit was relishing in her newly found power to keep it away from her brothers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How are you so fast?” Lionkit puffed as Hollykit nimbly dodged his lunge once again. “Is that feather magical or something? Are you cheating?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Hollykit laughed. She jumped and turned quickly when she felt Jaykit nip at her tail, then sidestepped Lionkit once again. The result ended in Lionkit accidentally toppling into Jaykit, who fell back with a surprised squeak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keep it down over there, would you?” Cloudtail called irritably from across the camp. The fluffy warrior was lounging in a patch of sunlight next to Brightheart, who raised her head sleepily at his voice. “I haven’t had the chance to take a nap in ages and you’re just bound and determined to keep me awake!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re sorry,” Hollykit said mournfully, tail drooping.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re just playing, Cloudtail,” Brightheart said teasingly. “They mean no harm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course they’re playing,” Cloudtail grumbled. He flicked his ear irritably. “That’s all they </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like you weren’t just as bad,” Brightheart purred.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloudtail grunted and closed his eyes again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaykit got to his paws and shook the dust from his fur. “We weren’t even being that loud,” he muttered quietly to his siblings. “Foxkit and Icekit wail all night and nobody complains about them!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” Hollykit said, “maybe he’s just in a bad mood today.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>More like every day,</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought. At least Brightheart was reasonable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glancing around, she beckoned her brothers to follow her a little further away. “Let’s just be a little quieter,” she whispered, before tossing the feather into the air. Lionkit pounced on it immediately, and their game resumed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, the brambles at the entrance to the camp rustled. Lionkit sat up abruptly; Hollykit, who’d been trying to pin him down, staggered and fell unceremoniously onto Jaykit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ow!” Jaykit whined. “Why do you keep doing that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lionkit!” Hollykit admonished.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her brother wasn’t listening. He watched with wide eyes as Brambleclaw and Berrypaw pushed their way back into the camp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow!” he called excitedly, looking at the rabbit Berrypaw was carrying. He scurried over to the two older cats, Hollykit and Jaykit trailing behind. “Did you catch that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Berrypaw sniffed. “Of course I did.” His whiskers twitched pridefully. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>don’t need a prophecy to be useful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit’s expression fell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Berrypaw</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Brambleclaw chastised sternly. “That was uncalled for. You can’t speak to your Clanmates like that.” He flicked his tail at Berrypaw’s shoulder. “Go see to the elders. When you’re done, I expect a sincere apology.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Brambleclaw.” Berrypaw rolled his eyes and shot another glare at Lionkit and his siblings before stalking off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was rude!” Hollykit cried. She’d noticed Berrypaw seeming more and more distant lately, but he’d never said anything hurtful to them before!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought we were friends,” Lionkit said, clearly hurt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be stupid,” Jaykit grumbled. “They hate us more every day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not true,” Brambleclaw said gently. “Some cats are just concerned about the prospect of another prophecy.” He licked the top of Jaykit’s head, then huffed in amusement when the kit scrambled away from him with a defiant hiss. “Just know that most of us agree that we’re blessed to have you here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Hollykit asked doubtfully. She knew Daisy cared for them—the former kittypet knew firsthand what it was like to be welcomed begrudgingly as an outsider, and she made sure to remind them often that she loved Hollykit and her brothers as if they were her own kits. Maybe that’s why Berrypaw was upset with them?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollykit shook her head. Berrypaw aside, the entire Clan seemed very split in their opinions of the kits. The only ones who went out of their way to make them feel as if they belonged, other than Daisy and Ferncloud, were the two cats who’d found them, Squirrelflight and Leafpool, along with Squirrelflight’s mate Brambleclaw, and their parents Firestar and Sandstorm. Stormfur and Brook, as fellow outsiders, were also as supportive as they could be. Everyone else, with varying degrees of politeness, tended to give the kits a wide berth at best.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She twitched her whiskers, remembering how just yesterday, they’d overheard Spiderleg, Dustpelt, and Thornclaw complaining about how ThunderClan was becoming overrun with outcasts. “ThunderClan blood hardly means anything anymore!” Dustpelt had growled, glaring pointedly at Hollykit and her brothers. Hollykit had felt warm with shame and guilt, because, rude as it was, she could see where the older warriors were coming from.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Brambleclaw said, pulling Hollykit from her thoughts. He bent to touch her nose before straightening again. “Sorry, you three, but I have to go speak with Firestar. I’ll come see you later, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is there something we can do to help?” Lionkit was still staring off towards the elder’s den, where Berrypaw had disappeared. He turned a pleading expression to Brambleclaw. “Maybe the others wouldn’t be so upset if we did more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brambleclaw frowned. “You’re still kits—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We want to help!” Hollykit agreed, glancing warmly at Lionkit. He was so smart! When everyone saw how hard they were working to help the Clan, there’d be no doubt that they belonged!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well…” Brambleclaw glanced around uncertainly. “I suppose… Lionkit, Hollykit—Squirrelflight and Brackenfur are fixing the apprentices’ den; why don’t you see if they need any help?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about me?” Jaykit demanded. Hollykit felt a pang of sympathy for her brother. Brambleclaw opened his mouth to answer but before he could say anything, Jaykit turned and glowered at Hollykit. “I can help the warriors just as well as you two!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollykit blinked in confusion. “I didn’t say anything, Jaykit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Calm down now,” Brambleclaw interrupted. “Jaykit, I was going to suggest you try and help Leafpool. I’m sure she has something—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not going to be a medicine cat!” Jaykit snapped. “I’m going to be a </span>
  <em>
    <span>warrior</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a moment, Brambleclaw didn’t say anything. Jaykit was practically vibrating with fury; Hollykit and Lionkit exchanged nervous glances.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Brambleclaw let out a weary sigh. “Of course. I just thought Brackenfur and Squirrelflight would rather not have to oversee all three of you, and I know Leafpool likes when you help her. I meant nothing by the suggestion, Jaykit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaykit’s bristling fur flattened and he turned his head away mutely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on,” Hollykit said lightly. She nudged Jaykit and started purposefully towards the apprentices’ den.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Brambleclaw!” Lionkit said cheerfully before bouncing after the other two.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Squirrelflight stopped weaving twigs into the side of the den when the three approached and turned to them quizzically. “Hi,” she said, “do you three need something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Brambleclaw said we could help you!” Lionkit squeaked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We wanna make ourselves useful,” Hollykit agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Squirrelflight frowned. “You’re only three moons old,” she said gently, “you don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>need </span>
  </em>
  <span>to make yourselves useful right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes we do,” Jaykit said seriously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Jaykit failed to elaborate and Squirrelflight kept staring at them, Hollykit sighed in exasperation. It was obvious; what was Squirrelflight having such a hard time understanding? “The more helpful we are, the less upset the Clan is with us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about?” Squirrelflight asked, voice tense. “The Clan isn’t upset with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>talking about?” Jaykit repeated scornfully. “When are they not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Squirrelflight was bristling, anger apparent in her expression. When Hollykit flinched away, the ginger warrior softened slightly. “Who gave you that idea? Come here,” she sat down, duties forgotten for the moment. When they hesitantly stepped closer, Squirrelflight wrapped her tail around them and drew them close to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollykit leaned eagerly into the gesture. She’d never known her real mother or father, and even though she often wished desperately that she had, she was forever grateful for Daisy, Ferncloud, Squirrelflight, and Leafpool. What could be better than having a mom? Having </span>
  <em>
    <span>four </span>
  </em>
  <span>moms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Listen to me,” Squirrelflight said firmly, “nobody has any reason to hate you. You don’t need to do more than anyone else to prove your place here. You’re kits for StarClan’s sake!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaykit squirmed uncomfortably but didn’t pull away. “Tell that to everyone else,” he muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollykit blinked anxiously up at Squirrelflight. “Is it really okay if we don’t contribute?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of </span>
  <em>
    <span>course</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Squirrelflight insisted. Her whiskers twitched with barely concealed anger. “I should speak with Firestar and Brambleclaw about this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Lionkit squeaked. “It’s okay!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Squirrelflight?” Brackenfur called from behind the apprentices’ den. “Are you still there? I need help moving this branch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Squirrelflight jumped gracefully to her paws. “Coming!” she called back. She stooped to give each of the kits a quick lick before straightening. “Don’t worry about anything, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay…” Lionkit said dubiously. Hollykit nodded along, though doubt still clung to her thoughts.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>A vague amount of time later~</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In retrospect, maybe sneaking out of camp to chase off some foxes wasn’t the smartest idea Lionkit had ever had. But to be fair, Hollykit and Jaykit had gone along with it just fine, so really, how was he supposed to have known?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was running blindly after Hollykit, terror pushing his legs even as his lungs felt like they would burst. They’d lost sight of Jaykit in their desperate need to escape, but he knew Thornclaw’s patrol was out here somewhere, and that there was a good chance his brother had found them. That’s what he told himself, anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fox on his heels suddenly let out a screech—risking a glance over his shoulder, Lionkit saw an unfamiliar tortoiseshell cat viciously attacking the creature. Lionkit slowed to a halt, breathing hard, and tipped his head as he watched. She was driving the cub back with powerful blows and swipes; finally, the fox let out a loud squeal and took off in the other direction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you!” Lionkit panted, heart still racing. Hollykit was gone—she must’ve kept running. He let himself relax and gazed curiously at his savior. Now that he was looking at her clearly, there seemed to be something… off, about her. Her fur was nearly translucent, and her paws made no noise as she padded calmly towards him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Brave little warrior,” she commented as she approached, “but foolish, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit ducked his head in embarrassment. “Who are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m the cat who just saved your life,” she said lightly. “Where would you have been right now if I hadn’t jumped in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” Lionkit said, and he meant it. This had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>stupid idea. What if he’d gotten hurt? Alarm pulsed through him when he thought of Hollykit and Jaykit, and he looked up sharply at the mysterious cat. “Have you seen my brother or sister?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t say that I have,” the cat said, but she didn’t seem worried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit blinked at her, once again taking in her ghostly visage. “Are you from StarClan?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She twitched her whiskers, amber eyes bright with amusement, but she didn’t say anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lionkit!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit practically jumped out of his fur. Whirling, he came face to face with Thornclaw, Spiderleg, Mousepaw, and Poppypaw. To his relief, Hollykit was among them, though she hung back nervously, as if she’d just been scolded. She probably already had been—of all cats to find them, it </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>to be Thornclaw and Spiderleg.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where’s the fox?” Thornclaw asked tersely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit turned to look at the cat who’d saved him, but she was no longer there. Where could she have gone?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lionkit?” Thornclaw prompted irritably.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit jumped again. “Um,” he drawled nervously. “I—it’s gone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Surprise flashed in everyone’s gaze. “It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>gone</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Spiderleg repeated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I—chased it off,” Lionkit said quickly. The lie burned on his tongue, but he wasn’t sure how he would explain what had really happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You… chased it off,” Thornclaw repeated, clearly disbelieving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” Lionkit forced himself to puff out his chest proudly. “It scared me at first, so I ran, but then I turned and scared it away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow!” Mousepaw gasped. “And it didn’t even scratch you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit avoided the apprentice’s gaze. “Nope,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppypaw bounced excitedly at her mentor’s side. “Could it be part of the prophecy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thornclaw flicked her side with his tail to quiet her, but he didn’t take his eyes from Lionkit. “Alright then. Let’s take you back to camp and tell Firestar what happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Lionkit fell in step behind his Clanmates, Hollykit slowed her pace to walk beside him. “Did you really chase it off?” Her voice trembled. Clearly, she was still shaken.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I—” a flash of movement caught Lionkit’s eye and he turned. The mysterious cat was back, looking at him through a patch of ferns. When their eyes met, she offered him an encouraging smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lionkit?” Hollykit prodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit shook his head. When he glanced back, the cat was gone again.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Firestar had been upset with the three for sneaking out, but he hadn’t yelled. Probably in part due to Jaykit’s serious injury (he’d fallen into the hollow running from the second fox; Lionkit and Hollykit had been worried sick all evening), but he was obviously impressed with Lionkit’s story.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right now, Firestar, Sandstorm, Squirrelflight, and Brambleclaw were conversing quietly in Firestar’s den, away from prying eyes and ears. Lionkit impatiently tore at the ground with his claws, casting nervous glances between the medicine den and the warriors discussing his consequences.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’ll be okay,” Hollykit said, though her voice wasn’t strong. “Leafpool said Jaykit was okay, and you protected the Clan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I didn’t do anything,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Lionkit thought shamefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollykit nudged him lightly when he didn’t respond. “Stop it,” she murmured. “There’s nothing we can do but wait.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit heaved a sigh and reluctantly relaxed his tense muscles. “You’re right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, after what felt like ages, the four warriors made their way to where Lionkit and Hollykit were crouched together. Hollykit scrambled to sit up straighter and Lionkit hurriedly followed suit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Firestar appraised the two for several heartbeats before speaking. “That was very foolish of you. Do you understand that? Do you realize how hurt you could’ve gotten? How you could’ve led those foxes straight into the heart of our camp?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re sorry,” Hollykit whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We just wanted to prove ourselves,” Lionkit protested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Squirrelflight lashed her tail. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>told </span>
  </em>
  <span>you, that’s not something you have to worry about! Besides, true warriors prove their worth by </span>
  <em>
    <span>following the warrior code</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We won’t ever do it again,” Hollykit promised fervently. “We honor the warrior code.” Her eyes were wide and her fur was bristling slightly; Lionkit could tell that she meant every word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Firestar cast a warning glance at his daughter. “Let me handle this, Squirrelflight.” He turned his gaze back to the kits. “I considered pushing off your apprenticeship—” Lionkit and Hollykit interrupted with dismayed protests, but Firestar continued. “—and I still might. However, I can’t ignore your display of bravery.” His tail swept thoughtfully over the dusty earth. “Lionkit, it’s my understanding that you chased off one of the foxes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit’s mouth felt abruptly dry. He nodded silently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Firestar,” Sandstorm began, an edge to her voice, “tell me you’re not thinking of rewarding their reckless endangerment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course not,” Firestar said calmly. “However, this is something we have to take into account.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit stared down at his paws. He didn’t want to be given special treatment because he’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>lied</span>
  </em>
  <span> about fighting a fox. But he was too far into it now to confess.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would put off their ceremonies,” Brambleclaw growled, “but it’s up to you, Firestar.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps assigning loyal mentors to teach them about the warrior code as soon as possible would be for the best,” Firestar ventured. “But I haven’t decided yet. In the meantime, go back to the nursery. You are not to go anywhere without Daisy or Ferncloud’s permission. Is that clear?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Firestar,” Lionkit and Hollykit chorused. That was no fun, but it could have been much worse. With a grateful dip of his head, Lionkit turned and headed back to the nursery, Hollykit following a few steps behind.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“I wish I had never been born!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t say that,” Leafpool said, voice trembling. Jaykit refused to acknowledge her, fury and indignation forcing an angry hiss from him. The medicine cat was drawing closer, but Jaykit shifted pointedly away, turning his back to her. “Please,” Leafpool continued. “You can’t mean that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I do,” Jaykit growled petulantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leafpool sighed. “I really didn’t mean to upset you, Jaykit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Nobody ever takes me seriously! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jaykit thought. It wasn’t just about Leafpool suggesting he become a medicine cat, though that had admittedly been the final straw. Half the Clan already disliked him because of his connection to a new mysterious prophecy and for being an outsider. Being blind certainly didn’t soothe anyone’s misgivings about him. He lashed his tail, feeling jealous of his siblings. At least </span>
  <em>
    <span>they </span>
  </em>
  <span>had the chance to make the Clan respect them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jaykit,” Leafpool repeated softly. “Being a medicine cat really isn’t that bad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop!” Jaykit snarled. “I’m not going to be your apprentice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leafpool didn’t say anything for a long moment. Jaykit could tell she was feeling guilty, but there was something deeper there. But, like always whenever he tried to sift through Leafpool’s thoughts, it was as if there were a wall of barbs between them. She was one of the only Clanmates Jaykit could never quite understand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need to get more comfrey,” she said finally. “I’ll send your siblings in to keep you company.” Her voice was stiff; Jaykit guessed she was disappointed. But he didn’t care—she couldn’t guilt him into doing something he didn’t want to do!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“By the way, Jaykit,” Leafpool said as she was leaving, pausing at the entrance. Jaykit couldn’t see her, but he could feel her heavy stare on his back. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m</span>
  </em>
  <span> glad you were born.” With that, she left, leaving Jaykit feeling vaguely unruffled and irritable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As promised, Hollykit pushed her way into the den not long after Leafpool left. Lionkit was not with her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re okay!” she said. He could feel the strong relief in her voice, but there was also pity, there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaykit twitched his ear. “You don’t have to feel sorry for me. I’m not going to die.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d thought he would, though. If Spottedleaf hadn’t helped him, would he still be here right now? Leafpool had said Spottedleaf watched over all of her Clanmates; Jaykit was grateful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollykit was flabbergasted; she always was whenever Jaykit predicted her thoughts. He took the moment to revel in his ability to catch her off guard. After a moment, she gave herself a quick shake and came to sit by him. “I never thought you would,” she said smoothly. “Did you hear about Lionkit?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaykit’s ears pricked in surprise. “No. Has something happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He scared away one of the foxes!” she said excitedly. “Firestar was so impressed!” she deflated a bit, then. “Well, he was also really mad.” She shook her head. “He says we have to stay in the nursery until he decides when we can become apprentices.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He fought one of the foxes?” Jaykit echoed in astonishment. He remembered Leafpool telling him he could never be a normal apprentice. Evidently, neither would Lionkit. Jaykit had been there when those foxes had lunged at them; he hadn’t seen them, but he knew they were much bigger than any of the three kits. If Lionkit had fought one off, surely that meant he was exceptionally special?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thought was upsetting. Clearly, Jaykit was abnormal in his use</span>
  <em>
    <span>less</span>
  </em>
  <span>ness, while Lionkit was abnormal in his use</span>
  <em>
    <span>ful</span>
  </em>
  <span>ness. As if the Clan needed </span>
  <em>
    <span>more </span>
  </em>
  <span>reason to doubt Jaykit’s worth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong?” Hollykit asked worriedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaykit blinked hard. “Nothing. Good for Lionkit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollykit huffed. “Oh, come on! This is the first sign we’ve had that any of us are actually as special as Squirrelflight and Leafpool say. We’ll get our signs soon enough, just wait and see! We’ll be the best, most important, honorable warriors ThunderClan has ever seen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaykit admired his sister’s staunch enthusiasm, but he couldn’t share it. Unwilling to ruin her happiness, though, he muttered softly in agreement.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Lionkit opened his eyes. A strange foggy mist seemed to hang over the clearing he was standing in. Barren trees spiraled endlessly into the dark sky, and shadows seemed to move in the underbrush. An owl hooted ominously in the distance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> His fur spiked and he looked around wildly. Where was he? How had he gotten here?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Squirrelflight?” he called fearfully. “Leafpool? Daisy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice to see you again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit jolted, flinching forward so hard he slipped on the muddy earth beneath his paws and stumbled. Something pressed against him, steadying him, and when he blinked up, he recognized the cat who’d saved him from the fox.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re back!” he said, equal parts confused and thrilled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am,” she agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit wriggled away from her and sat in front of her. The environment still unsettled him, but he was no longer afraid. “Jaykit told Hollykit someone who looked like you healed him when he fell,” he chattered. Unable to sit still, he jumped back to his paws and paced eagerly around the strange cat. “I guess Leafpool says it was a StarClan cat. Was that you? Is this StarClan?” He’d wanted to tell his sister that he’d seen the same cat, too, but he hadn’t dared. What if she caught onto the fact that he hadn’t actually fought the fox?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The cat blinked down at him. There was a shadow to her gaze, but it must’ve just been from the dreary scenery. “Did your brother tell you this cat’s name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit frowned. He was sure Hollykit must’ve told him, but he couldn’t remember for the life of him. He shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The cat seemed to relax a bit, letting out a huff of amusement. “That was me, yes. My name is Mapleshade.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit’s tail curled happily over his back. “Thank you for watching out for us!” They were so lucky! They really must be special cats if StarClan was on their side. ThunderClan would have to stop questioning them once they heard about this!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mapleshade inclined her head. “I couldn’t just watch as kits were in danger,” she said earnestly. She sniffed, then. “Unlike some of your </span>
  <em>
    <span>Clanmates</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” She spat the word like a curse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit stopped pacing and stared at her. “What are you talking about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mapleshade’s eyes widened in innocence. “You didn’t notice? Thornclaw’s patrol watched you three walk straight into that fox den, and they did nothing to help you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit’s jaw dropped in horror. Was that true? Then he shook himself. “No—that can’t be right. They saved Hollykit. They wouldn’t have left us to die.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hollykit ran into them,” Mapleshade corrected, “because they were already close by.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit’s head whirled. He knew Thornclaw and Spiderleg had never particularly liked him and his siblings, but would they really go as far as to let them </span>
  <em>
    <span>die</span>
  </em>
  <span>? But what about Mousepaw and Poppypaw? Neither of the young apprentices ever seemed to harbor any ill will towards them. Maybe they just hadn’t seen for themselves or hadn’t wanted to go against their mentors. Or there were fewer cats in the Clan who Lionkit could trust after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> It didn’t make sense. But a StarClan cat wouldn’t lie to him; she must’ve seen it more clearly than he had. After all, he’d been running frantically. He must have just missed it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit sat down, dejected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, there, there,” Mapleshade murmured gently. She stood and stroked her tail gently along his fur. “It must be hard, having been abandoned at birth and being forced to grow up in such a hostile environment.” She drew back and held Lionkit’s gaze. “But don’t worry. I can help you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit’s ears pricked, but he was still shocked by what she’d revealed to him. “How?” he asked, perhaps a bit unenthusiastically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can train you,” Mapleshade proposed. “With my help, it won’t be long before you’re a feared and respected warrior of ThunderClan. No one would dare question your purpose then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionkit looked up hopefully. “You would do that for me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course. I care about you, Lionkit. I want to see you succeed.” Her head suddenly jerked to the side, ears twitching like she was straining to hear something. Shaking herself, she turned quickly back to Lionkit. “You must promise me not to tell anyone about this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anger flashed in Mapleshade’s expression. “Do as I say, Lionkit,” she hissed. When Lionkit flinched, she seemed to realize her temper. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before speaking again. “It’s very important that this remains between us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That still didn’t make sense. Mapleshade had never explained herself. But he </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>want to train with her. And he should trust her—if he couldn’t trust a StarClan warrior, who could he trust?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Lionkit said quietly. “I promise, Mapleshade.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jaypaw has a best friend, Hollypaw angsts about the legality of her existence, and Lionpaw simps for Heatherpaw. Ashfur acts kind of sus.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you FrickinGwaine.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Hollypaw was thrilled at being Leafpool’s apprentice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw was furious at being Brightheart’s apprentice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionpaw didn’t know what to think about being Ashfur’s apprentice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure, the older warrior seemed nice enough. But even when he was younger, Lionpaw had caught him staring curiously at him and his littermates. Not in an unfriendly way, like Spiderleg or Dustpelt or Berrypaw, but also not in a comforting way, like Stormfur or Brook. Something about it just seemed off, but Lionpaw was determined to shrug off his concerns. If he was going to be the best warrior, he had to start by being the best apprentice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s go,” Ashfur called from the camp entrance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionpaw glanced apologetically at Hollypaw. The three had just been made apprentices, and Ashfur had told him that they were going on a tour of their territory. Hollypaw had asked to come along, but Leafpool had other plans, ushering her into the medicine den. Hollypaw blinked back at him sadly before forcing a bright smile and following the medicine cat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw was stalking after Brightheart with a scowl. He hadn’t said anything yet, but Lionpaw knew his brother well enough to know he was upset. He wanted to talk to him about it, but there just wasn’t any time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lionpaw!” Ashfur called again, an impatient edge to his tone. Lionpaw hurried after him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Ashfur said conversationally as they leisurely made their way through the forest. “You really don’t remember anything about your parents?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionpaw blinked, taken aback by the sudden question. “No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm.” Ashfur sounded like he’d expected that answer but still wasn’t satisfied. He glanced kindly down at Lionpaw at his side. “I couldn’t imagine that. I bet you’re grateful for Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw. And Leafpool,” he added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionpaw watched him quizzically. “I am. Daisy and Ferncloud, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, yes,” Ashfur waved his tail dismissively. As if sensing how uncomfortable Lionpaw was getting with this conversation, Ashfur changed the topic. “You know Ferncloud is my sister, right?” his blue eyes suddenly brightened. “It was so kind of her to take you three in. But that’s just how she is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionpaw relaxed slightly. Ashfur was just making small talk. There was nothing strange about him—Lionpaw must’ve just imagined it. Really, he was grateful for Ashfur. At least Firestar hadn’t stuck him with Thornclaw or Spiderleg.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionpaw suppressed a shudder. Ever since he’d learned that the two warriors had stood by and watched while foxes could have killed him and his littermates, he’d never been able to look at them the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lionpaw? Are you listening?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ashfur’s whiskers twitched in amusement. Thankfully, he didn’t seem upset. “I said, we’re almost at the ShadowClan border. You should concentrate, now—this’ll be your first lesson as an apprentice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Excitement fizzed through Lionpaw at Ashfur’s words. He nodded vigorously. “I’m listening!” Hopefully, his enthusiasm would impress Ashfur. And, if he could relay everything he’d learned today to Mapleshade, surely she’d be impressed too.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Hollypaw didn’t want to admit it to herself, but being an apprentice wasn’t as great as she’d imagined. The smells of the medicine den gave her a never-ending headache and she could never remember any of the countless herbs even though she’d been training for almost half a moon. Though Leafpool remained patient and kind, Hollypaw could see the disappointment in her mentor’s tense shoulders and narrowed eyes whenever she made another mistake.</span>
</p><p><span>Honestly, Leafpool’s disappointment hurt more than Hollypaw let on. Leafpool had been one of the cats to rescue her and her littermates from what otherwise would’ve certainly been death. She’d put a lot on the line for Hollypaw and her brothers—the least Hollypaw could do was</span> <span>be a good apprentice. But she couldn’t even do that right for the poor medicine cat.</span></p><p>
  <span>The thought was heart-wrenching, but what if Leafpool lost faith in them? What if they </span>
  <em>
    <span>weren’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>actually special at all? What if Hollypaw was dooming her Clanmates to a future with a useless medicine cat?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she reminded herself to stay optimistic. It couldn’t be that abnormal for apprentices to have a rocky start. Jaypaw certainly understood her frustration; every time he returned to camp with Brightheart, he looked more and more upset. He and Hollypaw had bemoaned their many mistakes to each other while simultaneously encouraging the other many times in the past few days.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionpaw had no such issues. He was excelling in his warrior training. The other night, Jaypaw had hissed at his brother for boasting his accomplishments, and now they’d refused to acknowledge each other all day. Even as the three sat together towards sunset, recounting their day to each other, Lionpaw and Jaypaw wouldn’t speak to each other. It irked Hollypaw, and she almost said something about it, but just barely managed to hold her tongue. This wasn’t the first time the two had fought; they’d be back to normal by tomorrow morning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leafpool took me to practice battle moves today,” Hollypaw was saying. “Even Cloudtail said I did good!” The praise from the normally prickly warrior had been like sunshine on a snowy day. It had truly felt like she’d finally been making progress in her training.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s great!” Lionpaw said warmly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw flicked his tail irritably. “Brightheart keeps making me pick ticks off the elders,” he whined. “She just won’t teach me any battle moves. It’s so annoying!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She probably just has a different method of teaching,” Hollypaw suggested. “I’m sure you’ll be out there soon enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw’s only answer was a disbelieving snort. Lionpaw rolled his eyes but didn’t comment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollypaw raised her head as a shadow fell over the three. “Hello,” Stormfur said cheerfully, Brook lingering at his side. “How’s the training going?” he nudged Jaypaw teasingly. “I see Mousefur hasn’t bitten your head off yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If only,” Jaypaw sulked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s a lot to learn,” Hollypaw said solemnly. Which wasn’t to say </span>
  <em>
    <span>bad</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but also clearly didn’t mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>great.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Stormfur purred in amusement and settled down beside them. “I felt that way too when I was an apprentice,” he confessed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Jaypaw looked up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Stormfur replied. “Training rarely comes easy at first. You three are still young; I’m sure you’ll do great in no time. But in the meantime, don’t beat yourselves up over it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Brook agreed. Her voice was gruff, and her words were made slightly rougher by her accent—a strange contrast to her mate’s easy-going and even tone. “Stormfur is right.” She glanced warmly down at Hollypaw and her brothers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Hollypaw said, smiling gratefully at the two warriors.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionpaw shifted beside her. Hollypaw knew he was dying to talk about how well he was doing but didn’t want to offend either of his littermates. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s okay, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Hollypaw thought determinedly. <em>We'll catch up soon, you'll see!</em></span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just now returning from patrol, Poppypaw and Cinderpaw bounded over to Hollypaw and their little group. Cinderpaw skidded to a halt barely in time to stop herself from barreling into Lionpaw. “We just got back from the ShadowClan border!” she announced. Energetic as ever, she bounced a little and prodded Lionpaw to his paws. “Come on, pretend you’re a ShadowClan warrior! I wanna practice my fighting moves!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionpaw crouched immediately, growling playfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, Poppypaw huffed in amusement and sat down beside Jaypaw and Hollypaw. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>can’t even keep up with her, and I’m her sister!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stormfur laughed quietly as he watched Lionpaw and Cinderpaw play fighting, occasionally calling out pointers. Brook shared a mirthful glance with Hollypaw before resting her chin on her paws.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollypaw felt a wave of gratitude for her friends. Even though Berrypaw sat glaring at them from the fresh-kill pile, even though she could see Dustpelt and Thornclaw muttering to each other and casting them irritated glances, even though she could just barely hear Spiderleg and Daisy arguing with each other behind the nursery.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a moment, at least. She felt like she belonged.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Theoretically, Lionpaw had always known that the gathering would be full of cats from other Clans, but that did nothing to prepare him for the actual experience itself. Hollypaw had disappeared with the RiverClan medicine cat apprentice, and Lionpaw felt utterly alone and overwhelmed. Thankfully, Mousepaw must’ve taken pity on him, as he kept to his side and introduced him to some other apprentices. Lionpaw was supremely grateful; otherwise he knew he would’ve stood there by himself awkwardly for an embarrassing amount of time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minnowpaw and her friends were decent, if a bit bland, but Lionpaw much preferred the WindClan apprentices to the RiverClan ones. Well, WindClan apprentice singular; Heatherpaw was great and he could’ve talked to her the whole night, but Breezepaw was…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Breezepaw was something else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The gathering’s starting,” Heatherpaw whispered, gesturing to the Great Oak. Sure enough, when Lionpaw followed her gaze the last of the leaders was leaping gracefully into the branches. “That’s Onestar,” Heatherpaw added for Lionpaw’s sake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have to go,” Breezepaw hissed, nudging Heatherpaw away towards their Clanmates. Heatherpaw rolled her eyes in amusement and winked at Lionpaw before dutifully trailing after Breezepaw.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionpaw watched her go until Mousepaw prodded him. Together the two left to go find their own Clanmates; Lionpaw felt a surge of relief when he spotted Hollypaw and gladly sat beside her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every leader took their turn announcing new apprentices or warriors, commenting idly about prey, and making vague threats at one another (Blackstar and Firestar were quite good at passive-aggressive remarks; Jaypaw would have respected that). Firestar announced the three new apprentices and Lionpaw almost felt dizzy with pride when the other Clans cheered their names.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Onestar, however, narrowed his eyes before Firestar could continue. “Three new apprentices, you say? Has ThunderClan taken in even more outsiders in recent moons, or have I just forgotten you mentioning them before?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Murmured comments rippled through the gathered cats, confused and disapproving. Lionpaw shifted uncomfortably besides Hollypaw, dread completely washing away any last traces of pride he’d felt. Hollypaw glanced at him in dismay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Firestar held Onestar’s gaze coolly. “They are as ThunderClan as any one of us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blackstar leaned closer, an eager light to his eyes. His voice was smug when he said, “Shame that you had to give up that territory, if you’re so weak you must keep recruiting extra kits to feed you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To Lionpaw’s surprise, Mousepaw turned to him and Hollypaw with a scowl. “Don’t listen to him. They made a fuss about me and my littermates, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Firestar’s tail twitched, the only indication that he was growing frustrated with this conversation. “If you keep bringing that up, Blackstar, one might think you’re making a public threat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would never,” Blackstar said, a bit too cheerfully. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollypaw’s gaze was fixed firmly on her paws. “Maybe Firestar shouldn’t have taken us in,” she whispered. “It’s done nothing but cause trouble so far, and isn’t it against the warrior code?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t say that!” Lionpaw hissed in shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Mousepaw agreed firmly. “Firestar is reasonable. You belong here as much as any of us. Besides,” he glanced away suddenly, and though Lionpaw followed his gaze, he couldn’t tell what he was looking at. “The warrior code is a bit outdated, don’t you think?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollypaw didn’t reply verbally, but Lionpaw didn’t miss the way she tensed beside him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you aren’t denying it?” Onestar accused, interrupting Firestar and Blackstar’s tense banter. When no one replied, Onestar raised his voice. “Doesn’t anyone find it strange—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever Onestar was about to say was lost beneath the sudden cry of, “Intruders!” and the subject was dropped in favor of the new dilemma.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Cheer up,” Poppypaw said softly. “You’ve only got a few more days to go before you can go back out into the forest with us.” She flicked Jaypw’s shoulder with her tail. “I can help you practice here in camp, too!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Jaypaw mumbled. He really meant it, but it was just so hard to force any enthusiasm into his voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d been restricted to camp for what Firestar had called his “little stunt” in which he’d fallen into the lake to be rescued by some WindClan cats. Now, while Hollypaw and Lionpaw were off enjoying their first gathering, Jaypaw was sitting here stewing in his misery.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well. That wasn’t entirely true. Poppypaw and her sisters had stayed behind this time, and the older apprentice had practically glued herself to Jaypaw’s side when the others had all left. And he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> looking forward to seeing his siblings when they came back; he wanted to hear all about the gathering and what they’d thought of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Speaking of his siblings... “Have you noticed anything up with Lionpaw?” he asked. His brother had been on his mind a lot lately, ever since he’d chased away that fox. How could he just be so unnaturally </span>
  <em>
    <span>good </span>
  </em>
  <span>at everything? Was it the prophecy at work? But if it was, why were Jaypaw and Hollypaw not keeping up with him? Were they really just “late bloomers” as Stormfur had implied? Or was Lionpaw just StarClan approved~? Either way, Poppypaw might know something; she was with him training more often than he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Surprise flashed through Poppypaw. “Lionpaw?” Her whiskers brushed his fur when she tipped her head thoughtfully. “Hm. Well, he freaks Honeypaw out,” she confessed. “But I think that’s just because he beat her in battle training the other day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d beaten a more experienced apprentice? Jaypaw’s frown deepened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong?” Poppypaw asked. “Is everything alright with you two?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw shrugged noncommittally. “Everything’s fine. I’m proud of him.” And he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span>. But, honestly. At this point, it was clear that Hollypaw was much better at warrior training than medicine cat training, and it was only a matter of time before she came to terms with that herself. Then would they </span>
  <em>
    <span>both</span>
  </em>
  <span> be surpassing him? Would </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone </span>
  </em>
  <span>take him seriously if he was constantly lagging behind both of his Super Special Siblings? He knew he shouldn’t think that way, but the thought that he would never be good enough as a warrior really stung.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, enough brooding!” Poppypaw suddenly declared. She shoved Jaypaw lightly and got to her paws. “Come on, let’s practice. Brightheart will be so surprised when you get this move right on the first try!”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>If she ever even takes me battle training,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Jaypaw thought. But Poppypaw’s enthusiasm was hard to shake. He stood up with a melodramatic, “Fiiine,” and let her coach him into the correct stance. He could tell that her actions were not motivated by pity, and maybe that’s what made it easier to let her help him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They practiced together for what felt like forever, until both were sure Jaypaw could do the move in his sleep. His legs were tired and his breath was short, but he’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>done </span>
  </em>
  <span>it. It was really the first time he’d felt such a sense of achievement as an apprentice; it was like he’d finally taken that first step. And maybe he wasn’t as strong as Lionpaw, but at least he was a little less removed from him and Hollypaw, now. It was like they were on more of an even playing ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great job!” Poppypaw was chattering excitedly. “We can show off to Thornclaw and Brightheart tomorrow morning. They’ll be so surprised!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Jaypaw said. There were no words to express how grateful he was at that moment, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>thank you </span>
  </em>
  <span>was always a safe answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t mention it,” Poppypaw said cheerfully. “We’ll both catch up to Lionpaw and Cinderpaw soon.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“You’re distracted,” Mapleshade accused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionpaw snapped his attention back to the StarClan warrior. “Sorry,” he said. “I’m just thinking about the gathering.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Truthfully, the gathering itself was the farthest thing from his mind. Even though it had been unusually eventful, what with the return of the previous ThunderClan deputy and his kittypet mate, and the scorn he and his siblings had received from the other Clans, Lionpaw found his thoughts occupied by Heatherpaw, of all things.</span>
</p><p><span>His tail twitched irritably when he realized. He knew the pretty young apprentice wasn’t thinking about </span><em><span>him</span></em><span>. She’d been too busy asking about </span><em><span>Jaypaw </span></em><span>and teasing Breezepaw. As if Jaypaw would ever give someone like Heatherpaw the time of day. He hadn’t even mentioned her once</span> <span>since she’d helped save him from the lake.</span></p><p>
  <span>“Lionpaw!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionpaw flinched when Mapleshade cuffed him over the back of his head. “You need to pay attention!” she hissed. “What if I was an enemy warrior? I would’ve shredded you by now!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionpaw frowned indignantly. “You’re not my enemy, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if I was?” Mapleshade repeated angrily. “If you’re not going to take our training seriously, maybe I should stop mentoring you all together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Lionpaw jumped to his paws, staring at Mapleshade in horror. “I’m listening! I promise!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mapleshade narrowed her eyes. Finally, with a sigh, she sat down in front of Lionpaw and shook her head. “That’s enough for now,” she said grudgingly. “Tell me, how’s your training with Ashfur going?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s good!” he said, perking up a bit. “He said I hardly even need him!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Two mentors are better than one,” Mapleshade reminded, but there was satisfaction in her voice. Was she proud of him? Lionpaw glowed at the thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about your siblings?” Mapleshade asked suddenly. Her expression became apologetic. “You being so advanced so early on must be putting a strain on your relationship.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionpaw deflated a bit. “Well, Hollypaw’s okay, at least.” He knew his sister was a little discouraged, but she was still reasonable and supportive. “I keep arguing with Jaypaw, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s jealous?” Mapleshade guessed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But that isn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>your </span>
  </em>
  <span>fault!” she insisted. She snorted in disgust. “If he cared about you, don’t you think he’d be happy for you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionpaw shifted. “I don’t know. He just takes things too personally. It’s not like I’m trying to make him look bad or anything.” He shrugged. “Maybe if I explain that he won’t be so upset.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure he already knows.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionpaw tipped his head. “If he did, why would he still be so angry?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mapleshade’s eyes reflected sympathy. “Because he’s selfish and bitter. There’s no arguing with a cat like that.” When Lionpaw just looked at his paws, Mapleshade went on, voice hardening. “Come on, Lionpaw, you must’ve noticed how he seems to just </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> everything. What you’re thinking or feeling or what’s bothering your Clanmates without even approaching them. He’s blind and yet he sees more than you could ever </span>
  <em>
    <span>dream</span>
  </em>
  <span> of.” She flicked her tail to draw Lionpaw’s gaze back to her face. “How could he still be envious of you? Why would he not let you have this without wanting to steal your limelight?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s my brother,” Lionpaw choked. “He loves me. He just doesn’t understand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mapleshade’s amber eyes glowed in the dim light. “Are you sure?”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Hollypaw found that she didn’t have much of an appetite the next day. Leafpool had tried talking to her when they’d gotten back home, but where her words were usually reassuring, Hollypaw couldn’t help interpreting them as hollow and meaningless. They’d been mocked and ridiculed before all of the Clans, but the problem was they were all </span>
  <em>
    <span>right. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Their very existence in the Clan was breaking the code. But by that logic, so too was Daisy’s, and Mousepaw, Hazelpaw, and Berrypaw’s, and even Firestar’s...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As was Millie’s, Graystripe’s mate. And that was a whole debacle that gave Hollypaw a headache to think about. Graystripe was the former deputy, but Brambleclaw was the deputy </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>, so what was going to happen?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong?” Jaypaw asked, coming to sit by her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollypaw wasn’t even surprised that he knew how she was feeling anymore. She pushed away the mouse she’d been trying to force down and sighed. “Did Lionpaw tell you about what happened last night?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw shook his head. “I was going to talk to you last night, but there was too much going on. I tried to catch Lionpaw earlier but he ignored me.” He tipped his head with a frown. “He’s not still mad at me, is he?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollypaw shrugged. “I didn’t think so. Maybe he was just busy.” It hadn’t seemed like it last night, at least.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw flicked an ear. He was clearly troubled by it, but he was quick to change the subject back to Hollypaw. “Anyway, what were you talking about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, right.” Hollypaw reluctantly explained how Onestar and Blackstar and the other Clans had reacted to Firestar’s announcement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw groaned. “You don’t think Blackstar’s going to attack us, do you? Just imagine how Spiderleg and Thornclaw would take that. They’d probably campaign to have us kicked out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t think Firestar would, do you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw blinked in surprise. “No. If Firestar went and kicked out everyone who could be considered an “outsider,” there’d be no one left. Not even a leader or a medicine cat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was a good point, Hollypaw supposed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s nothing to worry about,” Jaypaw said. After a moment, he added a bit awkwardly, “We don’t need <em>everyone's </em></span>
  <span>approval. Don’t stress too much.”  He’d never been big on comfort or words of affirmation, but just the fact that he was making an effort, in his own way, cheered Hollypaw a little.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nudged him. “Thanks. And hey, I hear you're allowed to go back outside today!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw made a </span>
  <em>
    <span>tsk </span>
  </em>
  <span>noise. “Which would be nice, if Brightheart would actually get moving.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw’s mentor was sitting across the camp, chatting idly with Cloudtail and Brackenfur. It was a good thing she hadn’t heard his remark, or Hollypaw was sure Jaypaw would’ve been in even more trouble.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollypaw laughed lightly. “Have a little patience, I’m sure she’ll be over soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw just rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollypaw pushed her half-eaten mouse towards her brother and stood up. “I was supposed to check on Graystripe and Millie,” she said. “I’ll see you later, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I won’t, but okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollypaw suppressed a snort before making her way towards where Graystripe and Millie had made their temporary nests. She was sure she’d seen Graystripe following Sandstorm into Firestar’s den earlier, but maybe Millie was still around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As she rounded to the back of the warriors’ den, Hollypaw heard muffled angry voices in the leafy foliage nearby and froze. She was beyond the view of her Clanmates here, which meant whoever was arguing had wanted some privacy. It was wrong to eavesdrop, she knew that, but what if this was important? Shouldn’t she, as the medicine cat apprentice, prioritize the safety of her Clanmates over her own integrity? With a frown, she crouched low and drew forward slowly until she was close enough to make out what was being said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How can you say that?” Hollypaw’s eyes widened in shock as she recognized Squirrelflight’s angry voice. “I thought you had my back!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I <em>did</em></span>
  <span>.” That was Brambleclaw’s voice. It wasn’t that unusual for the two to be seen arguing, but this seemed much more intense than usual. Hollypaw found herself flinching back, not wanting to hear two of the cats she cared so deeply for fighting like this. “But that was before I knew the safety of our Clan was at stake. How am I supposed to agree that they’re meant to be here when so far they’ve been nothing but trouble? Are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure </span>
  </em>
  <span>that prophecy wasn’t a <em>warning?</em></span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollypaw gasped audibly and took several steps back. The bickering instantly stopped--they must have heard her. She wanted to scramble away but it was like her paws were rooted to the ground. How could Brambleclaw say that? She’d thought of him as a father! Had he really only ever seen them as nothing more than nuisances, putting up with them for Squirrelflight’s sake?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Squirrelflight poked her face out of the ferns; her eyes widened in dismay when they made contact with Hollypaw’s. Brambleclaw followed a heartbeat later. When he saw who was sitting before them, he let out a deep sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hollypaw--” Squirrelflight began at the same time Brambleclaw said,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Listen, Hollypaw--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollypaw turned and ran.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>You can pry platonic best friends Poppyfrost and Jayfeather from my cold, dead hands.</p><p>Kudos and comments are much appreciated :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Deputy drama. Jaypaw encourages his sister to commit potentially sacrilegious crimes, Lionpaw tries to learn what it's like to be a background character. Also, Firestar is a simp for Graystripe (but so am I so I can't judge him).</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Wow,” Brightheart was saying. “I have to say I’m impressed. We haven’t even practiced any battle moves yet; how did you get that down so well?” Jaypaw could tell she was confused but at the same time tentatively proud; he resisted the urge to say something smug, letting Poppypaw do the talking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve been practicing!” Poppypaw chirped predictably at Jaypaw’s side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good on you for taking the initiative, Poppypaw,” Thornclaw said. After a brief hesitation, he added, “Nice work, Jaypaw.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A generic compliment, but a compliment from Thornclaw nonetheless. Jaypaw couldn’t quite suppress a satisfied smirk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That being said,” Thornclaw continued, “you still have lots to learn, </span>
  <span><em>both</em> </span>
  <span>of you. But right now, you deserve a break. What do you say Brightheart, why don’t we head on back to camp and we can pick things back up later?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds good to me,” Brightheart agreed with a dazed shake of her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great! Come on!” Poppypaw flicked her tail against Jaypaw’s side, beckoning him to follow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had too much energy for a break, but he was grateful for the reprieve anyway. Since Hollypaw had taken off like a terrified rabbit earlier, he hadn’t been able to stop worrying about what had happened. Hollypaw wasn’t one to spook easily—certainly not enough to run away like that. But he hadn’t noticed anything amiss in the camp… Whatever the case, he was hoping to use this time to venture out and find her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw made to follow the others when a tail on his shoulder suddenly stopped him. “Jaypaw,” said Brightheart, “wait a moment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw reluctantly sat down; Poppypaw and Thornclaw went on ahead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a bit of silence between them for a few moments. Finally, Brightheart said, “You did really well today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw raised his chin. “I know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brightheart let out a sigh. “Truthfully, I’d been putting off your battle training—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span><em>,”</em> Jaypaw interrupted, a bit coldly. “You didn’t think I could do it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Brightheart protested. “I know you can, but it’s going to take a lot of time and effort. I thought we should start small and then work our way up to the bigger things, get used to the work ethic.” Her voice hardened a bit. “Working on your attitude is taking more time than I’d thought.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw scowled. </span>
  <span><em>Is that your excuse?</em> </span>
  <span>If it was going to “take a lot of time and effort” they should’ve started practicing right from the start! “Do you know how humiliating it is to be stuck in camp doing stupid tasks all the time? How can I have a “good attitude” about that?” He lashed his tail. “You want me to respect you, but you don’t even respect me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had half a mind to storm off after that, let Brightheart stew in her frustration. Because she </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>frustrated, it was strong enough that Jaypaw nearly mistook it for his own. It just irritated him further—why couldn’t Brightheart just apologize and start taking him seriously? That’s all he was asking!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brightheart’s tail swept in front of Jaypaw, halting him. He hadn’t realized he’d gotten to his paws while he was wrestling with the urge to leave. Clearly, his subconscious had made that decision for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not that I don’t respect you, Jaypaw,” Brightheart said wearily. And suddenly her frustration was seeping away. “I guess we both could do better, huh? Maybe we should just start over.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Start over? A full moon into his training?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brightheart shifted before him. “We’ll work on hunting skills tomorrow. But I don’t expect you to slack on your regular duties,” she warned. “You will still be caring for the elders, just as every apprentice must do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Jaypaw sighed. At least Brightheart was taking his thoughts into consideration, sort of. He had to at least give this a shot, or risk losing this opportunity. And, really, he had to give her credit. She’d been nearly as frustrated as he had, but she’d managed to push that aside and remain more or less calm, something Jaypaw wasn’t sure he was capable of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, then.” Brightheart stood and nudged Jaypaw gently. “Let’s head on back now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Jaypaw said. “Well, actually, is it okay if I go for a walk? I wanted to find Hollypaw.” Usually, he’d never </span>
  <em>
    <span>ask</span>
  </em>
  <span> about something like that, but if they were starting over, he may as well actually give it a try.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well,” Brightheart hesitated, likely thinking of the last time he’d gone wandering off by himself. But after a few heartbeats, she relented. “Okay, just don’t be too long.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Scrambling back out into the clearing, paws skidding in the dust, Hollypaw didn’t wait for Squirrelflight or Brambleclaw to follow. She couldn’t be here right now—not in camp, surrounded by faces who hated her. She couldn’t return to the medicine den either, couldn’t face Leafpool’s disappointment or concern.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw, who was still sitting by the fresh-kill pile, jerked his attention to Hollypaw. “What’s wrong?” he called, jumping to his paws.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollypaw ran past and ignored him. As she fled out into the forest, she distantly heard Jaypaw calling after her, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once in the safety of the forest, well away from camp, Hollypaw allowed her strides to slow, until she was just shambling along. How was she supposed to face Brambleclaw again? How long had he been harboring those thoughts? Had it </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>been a lie? And if Brambleclaw thought she and her brothers were merely there as a precursor to </span>
  <em>
    <span>danger</span>
  </em>
  <span>, then what stopped everyone else from thinking so, too? Did Daisy think so, or Ferncloud, or even Firestar? Certainly Leafpool couldn’t… She’d found them, after all. And she’d just heard Squirrelflight defending them… So at least she knew she could trust the two of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollypaw forcefully shook her head. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wallowing never helped anyone, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she told herself firmly, but it did nothing to alleviate the ache Brambleclaw’s words had caused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She had to go back soon, she realized. Leafpool would be upset that she’d left without permission. She’d been told to check on Graystripe and Millie and come straight back, and she hadn’t even checked on either of them!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though the thought of returning made her feel physically ill, she had to put her duties first. Head low, she turned and started to trudge back to camp. She was so swept up in her own thoughts when she rounded a tree that she didn’t quite have enough time to stop herself from crashing straight into her brother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ow!” Jaypaw hissed, staggering back a few steps. “I thought </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>was the blind one!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” Hollypaw said quickly, “I wasn’t paying attention.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Clearly.” Jaypaw lifted his paw with a grimace; when they’d smacked into each other he must’ve stepped on a thorn that had proceeded to get stuck in his paw.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I can help with that,” Hollypaw said, perhaps a little too eager. Leafpool had taught her how to deal with something like this on one of her first days as an apprentice, when it had happened to Birchfall. She’d been too squeamish to do it herself, then, but she </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>to get over that in order to be a medicine cat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can do it,” Jaypaw snapped. Then he paused. “Well, I guess </span>
  <span><em>you’re</em> </span>
  <span>the medicine cat apprentice. Here,” he held his paw out to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He must’ve been sensing how she’d felt again, but she wasn’t upset. Far from it, actually. “I don’t have any marigold right now,” she warned, leaning forward to take a better look. “And unless we can find some on our way back, you might have to be careful on it until we get home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I figured,” he muttered. After a moment, he commented, “Hey, you remembered the herb.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I did!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Hollypaw thought with a surge of self-satisfaction. Not that it was much use right now, as they didn’t have any available, but it had to account for something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Jaypaw said once the thorn was taken care of. He flicked his paw, as if annoyed by the mild pain. “So, are we going to talk about what happened earlier?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollypaw sighed and got to her paws. She waited for Jaypaw to follow suit before she started back in the direction of home. “I overheard Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight arguing,” she confessed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw snorted. “What else is new?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollypaw scowled at him. “They were arguing about </span>
  <em>
    <span>us. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Brambleclaw doesn’t think we belong here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s all you have to say?” Hollypaw glanced incredulously at her brother. “Don’t you care?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I do,” Jaypaw protested. “But what do you want me to say? I can’t blame him for caring about the Clan; he is the deputy after all.” His frown deepened. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>thought </span>
  </em>
  <span>he was smarter than that, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite the situation, Hollypaw still felt a knot of anxiety upon hearing her brother question the deputy’s intelligence. “What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, Brambleclaw’s concern is valid, but only on the surface level. You’d think if we didn’t belong here, StarClan would’ve said something to Leafpool or Firestar. They wouldn’t have specifically led Leafpool and Squirrelflight to us </span>
  <em>
    <span>at all</span>
  </em>
  <span> if we were just going to cause harm to the Clans.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess,” Hollypaw said doubtfully. He sounded so rational and sure of himself. Hollypaw envied that in him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s letting Blackstar and Onestar and the unreasonable members of </span>
  <em>
    <span>our</span>
  </em>
  <span> Clan push him around,” Jaypaw said. “At this rate, Firestar might as well reappoint Graystripe as deputy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think he will?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw shrugged. “Couldn’t tell you. I know Brambleclaw’s worried about it though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Secretly, Hollypaw hoped Graystripe would reclaim his position as deputy. Brambleclaw had only been elected because the former deputy had been presumed dead, but he was back now. Besides, maybe if he didn’t have so much pressure on his shoulders, he’d be able to reevaluate his thoughts and makeup with Squirrelflight. And if Hollypaw was really lucky, maybe he’d even apologize?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw bumped her shoulder lightly. “That’s not for us to worry about though. And if Squirrelflight doesn’t manage to reel Brambleclaw back in, well. It’s his loss, not ours.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>“</span>
    <span>There you are!</span>
  </em>
  <span><em>”</em> Leafpool cried when Jaypaw and Hollypaw reappeared at the camp entrance. Beside him, Hollypaw flinched back into her fur, waves of shame quashing the thoughtful haze she’d been in for the majority of their walk home. “Don’t run off like that, Hollypaw, I was really worried!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” Hollypaw mumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Squirrelflight told me what happened,” Leafpool went on, coming to a halt before them. Her voice softened. “I’m not mad at you, but please don’t scare me like that again.” She leaned down and licked the top of Hollypaw’s head. “I thought you might’ve left for good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollypaw didn’t pull away—Jaypaw was secretly impressed with her tolerance for affection, especially Leafpool's. “Oh, you heard?” she asked, miserable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” Leafpool’s tail flicked once, like she’d forgotten to suppress the agitated motion. “Squirrelflight and I are quite upset with Brambleclaw, but unfortunately, that’s outside of our control. Just know that you </span>
  <em>
    <span>aren’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>a burden and you </span>
  <span><em>do</em> </span>
  <span>belong here. Both of you,” she directed her voice to Jaypaw. “And Lionpaw too. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>promise.</span>
    <span>”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you say so,” Hollypaw said. Her voice wasn’t very strong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do. Now,” the medicine cat straightened, resuming a more professional air. “Firestar has asked me to go to the moonpool to confer with StarClan about the deputy position. I won’t be back until late tonight. I need you to stay here to watch out for the Clan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Hollypaw gasped in dismay. “But Leafpool—I’m no good at treating injuries or sickness; what if something big happens when you’re gone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Brightheart knows a lot about herbs,” Leafpool assured. “If something comes up that you don’t know the answer to, I’m sure she’ll be able to help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure?” Hollypaw asked anxiously. “I don’t know, maybe we should get Willowpaw—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That won’t be necessary,” Leafpool interrupted. “I promise, everything here will be fine. Remember, I left for a moon before I found you three, and nothing bad happened in my absence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” Hollypaw didn’t sound convinced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have to go now, though,” Leafpool said apologetically. “Everything will be fine, Hollypaw.” She gave Hollypaw one last reassuring lick between the ears before sweeping past them and out of camp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollypaw sat down heavily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw flicked his tail, dismissive. “Brightheart knows what she’s doing. You probably won’t have to do anything at all.” He kneaded the ground eagerly. He’d gotten an idea in the midst of their conversation; he just had to convince Hollypaw to go along with it. He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “We should follow her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"What?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Hollypaw’s voice was loud with surprise. “No way! She asked me to stay here—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keep your voice down, mouse-brain,” he hissed. “You’re a medicine cat apprentice, you have a right to go to the moonpool! We can find it by following her and then we can ask StarClan </span>
  <span><em>ourselves</em> </span>
  <span>what our purpose is. Trust me,” he added, “it would be a better use of your time than sitting here doing nothing for the rest of the day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But she told me to stay here—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t listen to everything everyone tells you to do,” Jaypaw snapped. He realized that was a bit hypocritical when he was expecting her to listen to </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but oh well. “What if your leader told you to kill someone? Would you do <em>that?"</em></span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not the same situation,” Hollypaw argued weakly. He could sense her mind spinning, working over the ethical dilemma he’d just proposed. And knowing his sister, she’d be ruminating about that one all night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come <em>on</em></span>
  <span>,” he hissed in frustration. “There’s nothing you know that Brightheart doesn’t.” He didn’t know that for sure, but Hollypaw knew less than</span>
  <em>
    <span> he </span>
  </em>
  <span>did, and he assumed that he knew less than Brightheart, who’d acted as an interim medicine cat for a time. “It’ll be <em>fine</em></span>
  <em>
    <span>. </span>
  </em>
  <span>But we have to go quick, or we’ll lose her trail.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think this is a good idea, Jaypaw,” Hollypaw said slowly. “The last time we snuck out, bad things happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw lashed his tail. “Fine, then I’ll go by myself.” The idea was less satisfying, but he couldn’t just pass this up. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>to go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, wait,” Hollypaw protested quickly. “Do you really think Brightheart can manage on her own?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Positively.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hollypaw’s indecisiveness really is the worst thing about her,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Jaypaw thought irritably when she simply sat shifting nervously from paw to paw. Finally, she said, “Okay. Should we get Lionpaw, too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw shook his head. “No, he’s out with Ashfur still, it’ll take too long. We have to go now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“…Okay,” she sighed. “But if we get into any trouble, you’re taking the blame.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah fine, whatever. Let’s go.” Without waiting for his sister's agreement, Jaypaw turned, trusting Hollypaw to follow.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Despite his blindness, Jaypaw took the lead. Hollypaw remembered how he’d tracked the foxes and skirted the nearby patrols when they’d snuck out that one time, so she had no complaints about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They followed Leafpool’s trail in silence, which suited Hollypaw just fine. Each step she took sent a spike of guilt coursing through her. Not only was she defying a direct request from her mentor, but she was also leaving the Clan without a practicing medicine cat for the rest of the day. What if Brightheart had forgotten the things she’d once known about healing? Hollypaw hadn’t even known she’d had any knowledge of the subject, so it must’ve been quite a while since she’d had to use it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Also… She hated to leave Lionpaw out of something so big. He deserved to be a part of this. Besides, if he was already upset with Jaypaw as the latter had implied (for reasons neither he nor Hollypaw could remember), then this was definitely not going to make things better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They made sure to follow Leafpool from a distance, keeping close to the underbrush. For one heart-stopping moment, it seemed like she was doubling back towards them, but it was just the shift in the direction of the wind. By the time they finally reached the moonpool, Leafpool had already been there for a while.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s asleep,” Hollypaw commented, taking a few cautious steps closer. Leafpool, with her nose barely touching the surface of the water, made no indication that she heard either of the apprentices approaching.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course she is,” Jaypaw said flippantly, “that’s what they’re supposed to do here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Hollypaw shifted nervously. She glanced between Leafpool and the moonpool anxiously. “We just have to do the same thing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hopefully,” Jaypaw agreed. He was already settling himself at the edge of the pool with an air of practiced familiarity that Hollypaw wished she could emulate. Instead, her movements were jerky and awkward as she made to sit beside her brother, never taking her eyes from the glittering surface of the moonpool.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was it really okay for her to be here? Should she really be talking to StarClan before Leafpool formally introduced her to them as her apprentice? She was already breaking so many rules—was it really okay to cross that final line? Would <em>she </em></span>
  <span>be okay shattering all of these rules in one single night? When she was already on thin ice as it was?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A sick feeling twisted her stomach. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What if StarClan tells me Brambleclaw is right?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you stand watch?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollypaw jolted. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw rested his tail on Hollypaw’s shoulder. “If I take too long, you can wake me up so Leafpool doesn’t catch us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hollypaw hesitated for a moment, but then let out a relieved breath. “Okay, sounds good.” She took a few steps back, grateful to distance herself from the sacred pool. “I’ll stand guard,” she repeated quietly to herself. To Jaypaw, she added softly, “Good luck.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Jaypaw realized he was dreaming when he opened his eyes and saw his own reflection rippling in the surface of the moonpool.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Drawing back, somewhat dazed, he glanced around. While he could recognize his own body, crouched over the pool, as well as Leafpool’s and Hollypaw’s, there were several other forms taking hazy shapes all around the hollow. They were seemingly congregating around Leafpool—or, Leafpool’s spirit? While she lay sleeping at the pool behind him, she was <em>also </em></span>
  <span>standing a few fox-lengths in front of him, facing away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Graystripe’s back,” Leafpool was saying. The StarClan cats around her nodded. “But we don’t know who the deputy should be now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw rolled his eyes. He hadn’t come here to listen to this—he wanted to talk to a StarClan cat himself. Why he was here with Leafpool was beyond him—maybe medicine cats just shared a space in their dreams with each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which was very inconvenient for him. He <em>really </em></span>
  <span>didn’t want to be caught by Leafpool—at least, not before he did what he came here to do. Slinking back, Jaypaw kept to the shadows at the edges of the hollow and quietly made his way a bit up the path until he could dive safely into the nearest bushes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Brambleclaw has served his Clan dutifully,” some blueish gray cat was saying. Jaypaw wasn’t really paying attention, too caught up in pondering his next move. “But Graystripe has the experience and the reputation that Brambleclaw doesn’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Brambleclaw had to work for his reputation,” some other starry cat argued. “If anything, that should only prove his ability to lead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As if Graystripe hasn’t had to do the same?” someone else piped up. “When he came back from RiverClan, he had to--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but—”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“</span>
    <span>What are you doing here?</span>
    <span>”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw flinched at the sudden harsh voice. Spinning around, he came face to face with a wizened gray she-cat, scowling down at him. Thankfully, a quick glance back ensured that no one had noticed the sudden commotion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I<em> said</em></span>
  <span>,” the stranger hissed, prodding Jaypaw with a paw that actually made contact with him (wasn’t she dead? How did that work?). “What are you doing here?” She was angry, obviously, but there was an uncertain look in her amber eyes. He couldn’t really parse much else from her—trying to probe her feelings revealed nothing but a muted yet chaotic mess that he couldn’t quite understand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw drew himself up, trying to seem as dignified as he possibly could after having been caught sneaking around the afterlife. “I wanted to talk to StarClan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The starry cat in front of him let out another hiss. “This is <em>Leafpool's </em></span>
  <span>dream, not yours! You shouldn’t be here!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw shrugged, feeling a bit indignant. “It’s not like I tried to eavesdrop on them, it just happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“<em>It just happened,"</em></span>
  <span> she repeated with a sneer. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t, actually,” Jaypaw snapped, perhaps a bit too audaciously. “I just came here to speak with StarClan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yellowfang,” another voice, oddly familiar, called softly. “Wait a moment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A tortoiseshell face poked her head into the bushes alongside the other cat—Yellowfang, as she’d been so named. It took Jaypaw a moment to place her, but when he did his eyes widened. “Spottedleaf!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Spottedleaf blinked gently at Jaypaw, although her next words were stern. “This is the moonpool, Jaypaw. You aren’t supposed to be here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw sighed. “I know—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“However,” Spottedleaf raised her tail to silence Jaypaw. He quieted reluctantly; the only reason because he knew her, and she’d been nice to him in the past. “The fact that you are <em>here </em></span>
  <span>both poses and answers several questions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is <em>Leafpool's dream!"</em></span>
  <span> Yellowfang interrupted savagely. “It should not be possible for you to exist in the same space that she is while dreaming.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait,” Jaypaw frowned. He felt like things were very close to clicking and making<em> some </em></span>
  <span>sort of sense, if only in the way that they <em>didn't </em></span>
  <span>make sense. “So, that’s not just how StarClan works?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then how did I do it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His words were met with silence. Yellowfang and Spottedleaf exchanged furrowed glances. Jaypaw felt a surge of frustration; was StarClan always this vague and nonsensical? Surely they had to </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span>—they were </span>
  <em>
    <span>StarClan</span>
  </em>
  <span>. His occurrence couldn’t be </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>out of the ordinary or confusing to these all-knowing ghosts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Listen, Jaypaw—” Spottedleaf began with an intent stare and a serious tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something suddenly prodded Jaypaw rather harshly. He winced briefly, trying to ignore it, but when he reopened his eyes the moonlit clearing and the translucent cats had disappeared. <em>No! </em>I</span>
  <span>t had <em>just </em></span>
  <span>seemed like Spottedleaf was actually going to tell him something! Couldn’t he have stayed for just a few heartbeats longer? Why couldn’t things <em>ever </em></span>
  <span>be easy?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jaypaw!” Hollypaw’s whisper was insistent. She nudged him again. “We have to go!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw pushed his sister away, barely managing to hold back a hiss. “Hollypaw, you—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have to go,” Hollypaw repeated. Her words were laced with anxiety—probably about Leafpool waking soon—but there was an undercurrent of determination in them, like she knew they had to leave and wouldn’t listen to anything Jaypaw could offer in argument. Given her recent distress, he had to admit he was a little proud of her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” Jaypaw bit back. Just because he understood didn’t mean he couldn’t complain about it. “I met with StarClan,” he added quietly as he got to his paws. He paused, in part to shake out his cold fur but also to wait for Hollypaw’s impatient,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So? What happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, I’ll tell you on the way back.” He rolled his eyes and couldn’t help the bitter afterthought, “but you’ll probably be just as annoyed.” With that, he took the lead back towards camp.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Let all those old enough to fetch their own prey gather here beneath the high-ledge for a Clan meeting!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was early yet, barely past sunrise. Unusually so for Firestar to be calling a meeting already. Lionpaw had been making it a habit to wake up at around dawn the past few days (to get a head start on his apprentice duties to leave more time for training later in the day), so he was already up and grooming himself outside of the apprentice’s den when the summons was made. He glanced back into the den, wondering if he should wake Jaypaw or not. He and Hollypaw had shuffled back into camp last night, both exhausted and dodgy about where they’d been. Hollypaw had promised to tell him what happened later, but… he couldn’t help feeling like he was being left out of something big and important.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he could make the decision, Cinderpaw suddenly appeared at the mouth of the den, peering blearily out. “A Clan meeting?” she yawned. Lionpaw nodded mutely, and Cinderpaw turned back inside, presumably to rouse the four remaining apprentices still sleeping: Poppypaw, Mousepaw, Hazelpaw, and Jaypaw. Berrypaw had gotten up a bit earlier than Lionpaw, kicking him “accidentally” as he walked by with a trilled, "Early bird catches the worm!" Lionpaw couldn’t wait to exact his revenge in the form of waking up even earlier tomorrow to do the same to him. The rest of the apprentices were already clustering around the high-ledge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionpaw went to join Hollypaw, who sat by Leafpool. He was greeted with a tired nod from his sister and a friendly nudge from Leafpool.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lionpaw,” Leafpool purred. “I haven’t seen you in a while.” She narrowed her eyes teasingly. “Too busy with your warrior training to come visit me, I assume.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionpaw ducked his head. “Sorry, Leafpool.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leafpool looked up suddenly and waved her tail, beckoning someone over. Following her gaze, Lionpaw watched Squirrelflight hesitate briefly before bounding quickly over. At his side, Hollypaw tensed visibly and glanced away. Lionpaw glanced at her quizzically, then back up at Squirrelflight. Clearly, something </span>
  <em>
    <span>else </span>
  </em>
  <span>had happened without him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Squirrelflight forced a tight smile. “Hi, guys.” She sat down between Lionpaw and Hollypaw, casually leaning against Lionpaw and wrapping her fluffy tail around Hollypaw. “You’ll notice,” she said dryly, gaze focused up towards the high-ledge instead of those she was speaking to. “I’m not sitting with Brambleclaw.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did notice that,” Leafpool said, in that same casually clipped tone. Hollypaw relaxed slightly and peeked up at Squirrelflight, but didn’t say anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lionpaw shifted, slightly uncomfortable. How much had he been missing out on lately?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaypaw, Poppypaw, and Cinderpaw had just joined them when Firestar finally straightened to address the Clan. “I would be lying if I said this has not been a confusing season for ThunderClan,” he began. “However, confusing is not synonymous with </span>
  <em>
    <span>bad.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Our previous deputy and my oldest and closest friend has been returned to us—a feat I had imagined many times over but never expected.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All eyes turned to Graystripe, who offered a nervous smile at all the attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I bet he was a better sight in your imagination,” Dustpelt said, narrowing his eyes as he appraised the scrawny and disheveled cat in question. To Lionpaw’s surprise, there wasn’t any malice in his voice. In fact, he appeared to be <em>joking</em></span>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Evidently Jaypaw was surprised too. “I didn’t think Dustpelt even knew what humor was,” he muttered. Hollypaw and Poppypaw almost failed to suppress their giggles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Graystripe rolled his eyes, feigning indignation. “Speak for yourself, Dustpelt.” He winked. Millie swatted him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Firestar cleared his throat. “If you’ve quite finished,” he interrupted, though his warm tone belied his stern words. Raising his head once more, he continued. “Though short-lived, Graystripe fulfilled his role as deputy faithfully. However, Brambleclaw stepped up when it was needed. In Graystripe’s absence, I don’t think I could have asked for a better partner to lead the Clan. Time and time again, Brambleclaw has shown loyalty and has continuously put his Clan first. I am certain I made the right decision when I appointed him the position.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s going to pick Brambleclaw,” Hollypaw whispered. Lionpaw was surprised to hear the resignation in her voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But he<em> is </em></span>
  <span>the deputy,” he reminded her quietly. He would have assumed she would appreciate Firestar choosing the option that didn’t stray too far from the warrior code.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Squirrelflight gently hushed the two of them. “Wait,” she said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“However,” Firestar took a deep breath, as if preparing himself for what he was about to say. “I granted him the position during a time when the real deputy was away. If I had known Graystripe would return someday, I would have specified that his position remain temporary. As it is, I did <em>not </em></span>
  <span>specify that.” He glanced down at Graystripe and Brambleclaw. “I do not think it’s fair to strip Graystripe of his position because he was kidnapped protecting his Clanmates, especially as he is the original deputy of the Clan. But it also isn’t fair to take the position from Brambleclaw when it was given under the belief that he would keep it. So, I’ve decided that the two will<em> share </em></span>
  <span>the deputy duties for a moon. Not only—” he raised his voice over the sudden confused voices of his clanmates. “Not only will this help Graystripe re-familiarize himself with what it means to be deputy, but it will also allow me to make a fair and unbiased decision. The official deputy will be decided the day of the next gathering.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, Firestar leaped down from the ledge, pointedly ignoring any and all questions.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you to everyone who's commenting! It really keeps my motivation up :) (that being said, you're more than welcome to tell me what you thought about this chapter!)<br/>Thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I can't believe you've done this~</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After Firestar’s announcement, the Clan split off into various groups, chattering excitedly to each other. Many went to congregate around Brambleclaw and Graystripe, who both seemed a bit dazed themselves by the news.</p><p>Lionpaw turned to his companions. Leafpool and Squirrelflight had shifted closer together and were exchanging furtive whispers, angled slightly away from them. Poppypaw and Cinderpaw had bounded forward to join their mentors—they were currently pacing excitedly around Cloudtail and Thornclaw as if waiting for one of the deputies to assign them a patrol.</p><p>Hollypaw and Jaypaw were still sitting there, but neither made a move to speak. “Didn’t see that coming,” Lionpaw commented awkwardly after a few moments had passed.</p><p>Jaypaw huffed out a surprised laugh.</p><p>Hollypaw pouted. “I thought finding out who was going to be deputy would make me less stressed, but now we have to wait a whole <em> moon </em>?”</p><p>Lionpaw shrugged. “I guess it’s more fair this way.”</p><p>“It makes sense,” Jaypaw agreed. “I think Firestar made the right choice.”</p><p>Hollypaw sighed. “I know, I know…”</p><p>It was nice to have a moment like this with his siblings. Yet, he couldn’t help but feel like a shadow was looming down on them. He wanted to ask them where they’d been last night, but he couldn’t quite find the right words. And doing so would likely shatter the tentative peace between the three of them—he wasn’t quite sure how to proceed.</p><p>Before he could make up his mind, Leafpool was back, standing before them with a noticeably cheerful expression. Squirrelflight paused to shoot the three a smile before trotting towards Firestar and Sandstorm.</p><p>“Good news?” Hollypaw asked hopefully.</p><p>“Time will tell,” Leafpool said vaguely. “I must speak with Firestar; I’m sorry, Hollypaw, but could you get started organizing our supplies so we know what to collect later? That would be a great help.”</p><p>Hollypaw sat up straighter. “Of course!”</p><p>Leafpool purred, bending down to lick her apprentice between the ears. “Thank you! You should use this time to study,” she added teasingly as she turned to leave, “I’ll quiz you when I get back!”</p><p>Hollypaw’s eager expression instantly vanished. “Why does she have to quiz me?” she sulked. “She knows I’m not going to get anything right.”</p><p>Lionpaw tipped his head. “You’re a medicine cat apprentice; <em> shouldn’t </em>you know the herbs?”</p><p>Hollypaw’s head hung lower. Lionpaw felt a little guilty.</p><p>“That’s the thing about being an apprentice,” Jaypaw said, flippant but at the same time surprisingly gentle. He got to his paws. “You don’t have to know them all yet. Come on,” he nudged Hollypaw and gestured for Lionpaw with his tail, “Let’s go practice.”</p><p>Lionpaw frowned, but got up to follow them nonetheless. “How are we going to practice if none of us know anything?”</p><p>A few steps ahead, Jaypaw flicked his tail. “Maybe don’t assume I don’t know anything,” he replied testily.</p><p>Though neither of his siblings were looking at him, Lionpaw rolled his eyes, mocking Jaypaw’s words under his breath. Before he followed them into the medicine den, he glanced around the clearing, quickly remembering that he should check if Ashfur was around and expecting him. Thankfully, Lionpaw’s mentor seemed to be leaving with the latest patrol. Brambleclaw and Berrypaw were also with them; Lionpaw longed to join them just to show off to the older apprentice, but the patrol looked unusually large with Dustpelt, Graystripe, Birchfall, Brightheart, Ashfur, Brambleclaw, <em> and </em>Berrypaw. So many cats on one patrol were already pushing it— Lionpaw was almost certain his presence would not be much appreciated.</p><p>Oh well. He hadn’t had much time to spend with his siblings lately anyway; this might be nice for a change.</p><p>Inside the den, Hollypaw had already hauled out an assortment of leaves, flowers, and berries that Lionpaw could absolutely not tell apart. He took a seat next to Jaypaw, who was idly grooming one of his paws.</p><p>“I know these ones,” Hollypaw said hesitantly, pointing at some blue berries that were evidently not <em> blueberries </em>. “Juniper berries. It looks like we might need some more of them...”</p><p>“What do they do?” Lionpaw asked curiously, knowing that he would not remember but still eager to hear about the things his sister was learning.</p><p>“Um, they can be good for stomach aches,” Hollypaw said. It didn’t sound convincing. Lionpaw figured it wouldn’t matter if she was wrong, as there was no Leafpool here to correct her.</p><p>Jaypaw let out a sigh. “Okay here, why don’t we do this.” He scooched closer to the messy stack of herbs and gestured between Hollypaw and Lionpaw. “I remember a lot of these from when Leafpool used them to treat me,” he explained, “so Lionpaw, why don’t you pretend to be sick or wounded, and Hollypaw you can pretend to treat him. I’ll tell you if you’re doing anything wrong.”</p><p>“But what if <em> you’re </em>wrong?” Lionpaw asked skeptically.</p><p>Jaypaw rolled his eyes in a long-suffering sort of way. “I won’t be, but we can double-check everything I say with Leafpool when she comes back if that makes you feel better.”</p><p>Lionpaw’s fur ruffled a bit at his brother’s tone, but he didn’t say anything about it. Instead, he shared a glance with Hollypaw; his sister seemed a bit nervous, but there was determination in her eyes when she nodded at him.</p><p>He shrugged. “Alright, then.” He waited a few moments before dramatically doubling over. “Oh no,” he said, purposefully doing the worst acting he possibly could, “Hollypaw, I’m dying, help me.”</p><p>Hollypaw’s mouth quirked, betraying the smile she was clearly trying to hide. “What seems to be the problem?” she asked with an exaggerated amount of professionalism. Jaypaw shook his head with a light huff, the only indication that he was amused and not annoyed.</p><p>Lionpaw rolled onto his side with a miserable noise. “I was fighting Blackstar himself,” he explained mournfully. “He’d just run away screaming when the ShadowClan deputy caught me by surprise.”</p><p>Hollypaw’s ears flicked forward as if she were actually invested in the story. “You mean Russetfur? Sneaky little fox-heart. Where did she get you?”</p><p>“No actually, Russetfur didn’t hurt me,” Lionpaw corrected. “I managed to fight her off single-handedly too. But I accidentally tripped and cut my leg on a rock walking home.” He stretched out his perfectly unharmed foreleg.</p><p>“Wow, that must’ve hurt.” Hollypaw’s whiskers twitched—she was trying so hard not to laugh. “Here.” She turned to the herbs then paused, eyes scanning over each one. Finally, she shook herself and picked out a remarkably unremarkable green leaf. “Dock should help, but it might sting a bit.”</p><p>They both glanced at Jaypaw, who nodded. “Dock will help, you’re right. But what would be a good one to pair with it to prevent a possible infection?” At Hollypaw’s blank look, Jaypaw added, “come on, you remembered it before, when I stepped on that thorn.”</p><p>Recognition lit Hollypaw’s gaze. “Goldenrod! That’s right!” She turned back to her plants and triumphantly picked up a yellow flower.</p><p>“Wow!” Lionpaw gushed. “I’m totally healed! Thank you Medicine Cat.”</p><p>“Helping Hollypaw study, I see?” Leafpool had reappeared once again, poking her head into the den. Her gaze was warm as she watched the three of them.</p><p>“Hollypaw saved me,” Lionpaw kept his tone serious.</p><p>Hollypaw nodded vigorously. “Lionpaw pretended he cut his leg— I remembered to use dock leaves, just like you said, and Jaypaw reminded me about marigold.”</p><p>“Did he now?” Leafpool cast Jaypaw a curious glance. </p><p>Jaypaw tensed, good mood apparently gone. Wasn’t it tiring to live like that, always a few heartbeats away from being annoyed or upset? It really annoyed and upset Lionpaw. “I didn’t tell her which one,” Jaypaw muttered, “she remembered that on her own.”</p><p>“But you reminded me,” Hollypaw said. “Come on, you have to take some of the credit!”</p><p>Jaypaw shifted but didn’t say anything.</p><p>Leafpool hummed thoughtfully. “Well, that was nice of you, Jaypaw. And you too, Lionpaw. And Hollypaw,” Leafpool’s expression was still a bit elsewhere, like she was thinking rather hard about something, but she blinked and smiled softly at her apprentice. “I’m proud of you.”</p><p>“Firestar!” The sudden frantic cry had all four occupants of the medicine den dashing outside to see what was going on. Berrypaw had torn back into the camp so fast his chest was still heaving with the effort. Behind him was an unfamiliar but undeniably ShadowClan warrior. She let out a pathetic “eep!” when she realized where she was and turned right back around. Moving quickly, Squirrelflight took off after her.</p><p>Firestar was before Berrypaw in a heartbeat. “Berrypaw! What’s happened?”</p><p>“What does it <em> look </em>like?” Berrypaw gasped. He glanced up and flinched visibly when he realized he was speaking to the Clan leader. “Uh, sorry—the patrol was ambushed by ShadowClan, they sent me back to get help.”</p><p>Leaving his siblings, Lionpaw darted eagerly forward. “Let me help!” He all but begged Firestar. This was the perfect opportunity to put all that he’d learned from both Ashfur and Mapleshade to use. And how convenient that Ashfur was already there, so he’d be able to see how brilliantly Lionpaw fought, too!</p><p>Firestar frowned pensively. “You have not been training for long, Lionpaw. I would feel more comfortable if you stayed here to assist with guarding the camp.” He picked his head up and began rattling off a list of names to accompany him to the battle.</p><p>Lionpaw resisted letting out an impatient growl. “Please Firestar,” he said as soon as Firestar was finished, “let me help! I know I can!” Across from him, Berrypaw sniffed and cast him a mocking glance. Lionpaw dug his claws into the earth to stop himself from lashing out at him.</p><p>“He <em> has </em>been training a lot,” Mousepaw put in, coming to stand next to Lionpaw. Berrypaw, his brother, gave him an incredulous look, but he continued smoothly. “He might even be more prepared than me!” </p><p>Lionpaw blinked. Mousepaw was always seeming to take Lionpaw off guard with his kindness—perhaps it was to make up for that time he’d almost watched Lionpaw die.</p><p>Firestar sighed. “Fine, we don’t have time to argue about this. The rest of you <em> need </em>to stay here.” He glanced pointedly at Jaypaw as he said it, as if silently daring him to oppose.</p><p>Jaypaw scowled, clearly having caught the sentiment. “Why do you always assume it’s going to be me?”</p><p>There was almost a hint of amusement in Firestar’s eyes, but it was quick to harden into a grim determination. “Alright, let’s go!”</p><p>Racing off after his Clanmates, Lionpaw figured he’d never been more excited in his life.</p><hr/><p>Hollypaw turned to Leafpool as soon as the reinforcement party had left. A sinking feeling of guilt was settling in her stomach. “This is our fault, isn’t it?”</p><p>“Absolutely not!” Leafpool said sharply. “Tensions have been high with ShadowClan since Firestar gave them that strip of land. Since even before then, really. This has been a long time coming.”</p><p>“There had to be a catalyst, though,” Jaypaw muttered.</p><p>“Enough of this,” Leafpool scolded. She shifted stiffly. “Hollypaw, we need to prepare for the wounded. StarClan knows there’s going to be a lot of work ahead of us.” She turned back to the medicine den but paused, glancing uncertainly at Jaypaw. “Since you’re here, you can help us too.”</p><p>Hollypaw thought Jaypaw might protest; she still remembered how defensive he’d been whenever anyone suggested he help Leafpool with her duties. She wasn’t quite sure <em> why </em>, but then again, she was never sure why either of her brothers did any of the things they did.</p><p>To her surprise, Jaypaw nodded, although the action came with an irritated eye roll.</p><p>“Good.” Leafpool ducked back inside, Hollypaw and Jaypaw following dutifully after her.</p><p>_</p><p>“Ow!”</p><p>Hollypaw reared back at Ashfur’s pained hiss. “Sorry!” she squeaked. Jaypaw, who was (rather unenthusiastically) wrapping one of Millie’s wounded paws, glanced pointedly over at her, clearly unimpressed. She took a deep breath and straightened. Right, right, she had to do this. “Sorry,” she repeated to Ashfur, “it’s going to sting a bit at first, but it’ll save it from hurting worse later.”</p><p>“I know that,” Ashfur snapped, but when he glanced at her a few heartbeats later, he seemed much kinder. “Never quite get used to it, is all.”</p><p>Hollypaw breathed out a quiet sigh of relief and went back to gingerly applying a salve to one of his scratches. She flicked her tail to grab Lionpaw’s attention; by some miracle, he’d sustained <em> no </em> injuries whatsoever. He’d offered to help Leafpool, but the medicine cat had politely declined, saying he’d already helped enough by fighting in the battle (which was sound enough, but Hollypaw also knew that Lionpaw was useless when it came to herbs, and the best thing he could do to help the medicine cats was to stay put). As such, he’d planted himself by Hollypaw’s side and had been regaling her with the details of the battle. “So?” she prompted. “And then what happened?”</p><p>“Oh, right,” Lionpaw preened. “So Firestar was surrounded, right, and I jumped in and took on Oakfur so he wouldn’t be outnumbered. He couldn’t even land a single hit on me! Y’know, for warriors, I thought they’d fight better.”</p><p>“You did good,” Ashfur commented, “but no one likes a braggart, Lionpaw.”</p><p>Lionpaw huffed. “I’m not bragging!”</p><p>“You sort of are,” Hollypaw teased. When Lionpaw’s face fell, she purred and nudged his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it—come on, give me more details!”</p><p>More towards the center of the clearing, Brambleclaw cleared his throat; since nearly the entire Clan was in the camp at the moment (save for a few apprentices and warriors who had gone hunting), he had the pleasure of having multiple pairs of eyes turn to him at once. Brambleclaw shifted, seeming, suddenly, at a loss for words.</p><p>“So are we just not going to talk about it?” Spiderleg called suddenly, shooting Brambleclaw a glare.</p><p>“I was getting there,” Brambleclaw retorted.</p><p>“Talk about what?” Firestar’s voice was calm, but watching the tip of his tail twitch, Hollypaw figured their leader was more impatient than he was letting on. Given the circumstances, she could understand why, but even still… She wasn’t quite sure she <em> wanted </em> to hear what her Clanmates were about to say. Something told her this wasn’t going to be a nice conversation.</p><p>Brambleclaw met Firestar’s gaze, though he still looked supremely uncomfortable. “ShadowClan justified their attack by claiming we have too many cats who are not… Well, Clan-born.”</p><p>Ah, and there it was. As her Clanmates broke out into loud arguments around her, she tried to keep herself intently focused on her task.</p><p>“Are you <em> intentionally </em>trying to start things?” Squirrelflight hissed. The force of her anger was enough to make several cats glance between the two of them in confusion.</p><p>“No,” Brambleclaw tried to protest, “I just thought Firestar should hear about this.”</p><p>“Yeah, well, that’s just how ShadowClan is,” Graystripe said, raising his voice over the clamor. “They’re not exactly ones to talk about right and wrong.”</p><p>“Well,” Dustpelt’s voice was hesitant. “They’re not exactly wrong, here, though.”</p><p>“Oh, and I suppose if you had it your way, all of us who aren’t <em> pure ThunderClan </em>would leave?” Stormfur challenged. “As if we haven’t been right by your side, defending your home and caring for each other for seasons?”</p><p>Dustpelt’s tail lashed apprehensively. “No, I didn’t say that.”</p><p>“You didn’t have to,” Stormfur shot back.</p><p>“ThunderClan is becoming a Clan of rogues and kittypets!” Spiderleg spat. “It’s a <em> weakness. </em>As long as they’re here, we will continue to be threatened by the other Clans.”</p><p>Hollypaw grit her teeth. She was almost done; there was just one last scratch by Ashfur’s ear.</p><p>“That sounds like a threat itself.” Millie’s voice was surprisingly calm and threatening in its own right.</p><p>“That’s enough.” Though Firestar’s voice was stern, there was a note of weariness to it. “Would you let ShadowClan make decisions on our behalf? Our business is our own, and we take orders from no other Clan.”</p><p>Sandstorm went to stand by his side. “We’ve had this argument before, and the outcome is always the same. Everyone who lives here has a right to be here, end of story.”</p><p>“I <em> did </em> tell them that,” Brambleclaw cut back in, glancing pointedly at Squirrelflight. Squirrelflight mutely turned her face away from him.</p><p>“Yes,” Sorreltail piped up, “it’s not fair to blame certain members of the Clan for this attack. ShadowClan is responsible for their own actions, and they will always have an excuse, no matter what.”</p><p>“There,” Hollypaw said quietly, stepping back. “You’re good to go, Ashfur.”</p><p>Ashfur, who had been frowning pensively, started at her words. “Thanks, Hollypaw.” He looked down at her and blinked warmly. “It’s much appreciated.” After a few moments in which he glanced between Hollypaw and Lionpaw with an uncertain expression, he shook his head and leaned forward. When he spoke, his voice was low. “Between you and me, I wouldn’t worry about what everyone’s saying. You’ve got a bunch of cats who would be willing to fight to keep you here, including me.” He winked.</p><p>“Thank you,” Hollypaw said. She meant it, even if she was a little confused. She’d never really spoken to Ashfur, but she knew he was friends with cats like Spiderleg. Maybe his opinions had changed since mentoring Lionpaw? Either way, it was nice to know someone, however unexpected, was on their side.</p><p>But… Even with Ashfur’s reassurance, Hollypaw couldn’t help but feel deeply ashamed. Despite Sorreltail’s words, she knew her being there was a part of the reason why ShadowClan had attacked them. She, and Lionpaw and Jaypaw, and Daisy, Mousepaw, Berrypaw, and Hazelpaw, and Millie, and Stormfur and Brook…</p><p>Leafpool was <em> wrong. </em> It <em> was </em> their fault.</p><p>“Alright,” all of a sudden Jaypaw was at their side. Ashfur was gone now; he must’ve left while Hollypaw was brooding “I think we should talk.”</p><p>“What is there to talk about?” Lionpaw asked, forcefully optimistic.</p><p>“Do you mean the moonpool?” Hollypaw asked, dreading where this conversation might be going. She knew Lionpaw wasn’t going to take that well, and she wasn’t ready to deal with that on top of everything that had happened today.</p><p>“The <em> what?” </em> Lionpaw asked blankly.</p><p>“Well, no, but now I do.” Jaypaw rolled his eyes. “Come on, we can talk behind the nursery.”</p><p>“Does Leafpool still need help?” Hollypaw asked. It would be a good excuse to get out of this conversation, anyway.</p><p>“No, we covered everyone,” Jaypaw assured.</p><p>Hollypaw let out a sigh. Guess there was no getting out of it, was there?</p><p>“Can someone please tell me what’s going on?” Lionpaw’s voice was laced with impatience.</p><p>“Yeah yeah, just come on.” Jaypaw turned and jerked his head for the other two to follow.</p><p>Hollypaw glanced apologetically at Lionpaw before reluctantly following.</p><hr/><p>“What’s going on?” Lionpaw asked when they’d finally settled down behind the nursery. A note of irritation had slipped into his voice, making his question louder than he’d intended it to be.</p><p>Jaypaw scowled. “Oh, shut <em> up </em>! If we wanted the whole Clan to know we’d have told you out there!”</p><p>Lionpaw hissed right back. “Are you going to leave me in suspense forever?”</p><p>“We went to the moonpool,” Hollypaw cut in. Lionpaw turned to her with wide eyes, and she hurried to continue. “We followed Leafpool. I know, we shouldn’t have, and we should have brought you with us, but there just wasn’t any time and—”</p><p>“I talked to StarClan,” Jaypaw interrupted. He straightened slightly, like he was proud of himself, but it didn’t take long before he was hunching forward again with another angry frown. “But they didn’t really tell me anything.”</p><p>“Wait wait wait,” Lionpaw’s head was whirling. He glanced between Hollypaw and Jaypaw in disbelief. “You w<em> hat? </em>”</p><p>Hollypaw’s claws were working anxiously at the ground in front of her. “We wanted to bring you with us, but you were still out with Ashfur—”</p><p>“So you went without me?” Lionpaw knew he probably shouldn’t have been so upset. After all, he had been training with Ashfur a lot, which left less time to speak with his littermates, and he <em> was </em> keeping Mapleshade’s StarClan training from them. But it was just so insulting! How could they have thought to do something so big and important <em> without </em>him?</p><p>“You were with Ashfur,” Jaypaw repeated Hollypaw’s words.</p><p>“You should have waited!” Lionpaw, unable to sit still anymore, got to his paws and started pacing (which was, admittedly, not an easy feat in the small space behind the nursery).</p><p>“We had to follow Leafpool.” Hollypaw’s voice was weak.</p><p>Lionpaw scoffed. “A convenient excuse.” He stopped and glared at the two of them. “It’s like I’m not even your brother anymore! You two are always together and I never get to be a part of it!” He didn’t realize how true the words were until he said them out loud. Hollypaw and Jaypaw had been hanging around each other a lot without him lately, and he knew there was even more he’d been left out of. (Like, why were Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw fighting? Hollypaw and Jaypaw had seemed to know at the meeting that morning.)</p><p>“We went to the gathering together just two days ago,” Hollypaw pointed out indignantly.</p><p>Jaypaw stepped in front of him, ears flat. “You spend every waking moment training and gloating over us. Of course you’re going to get left out of things, that’s not our fault!”</p><p>“Jaypaw—”</p><p>“If you weren’t so selfish,” <em> If he cared about you </em>, “maybe you’d be happy for me!”</p><p>“Are you <em> kidding me?” </em></p><p>“Stop it,” Hollypaw interrupted, surprisingly firm. She wriggled her way between the two of them, forcefully shoving both of them back. “Lionpaw, we aren’t intentionally keeping you out of anything. You’ve just been busy, and that’s okay!” She lashed her tail bitterly. “Are you two not aware of the day we’ve had? Fighting isn’t going to help anything.”</p><p>Lionpaw reluctantly stepped back, though he couldn’t quite keep the mocking growl out of his voice. “And did you hear anything from <em> StarClan </em>? Did they tell you anything about the prophecy, or about belonging here?”</p><p>Jaypaw flicked an ear. “Maybe they would have, but I wasn’t there long enough to hear it.”</p><p>“But you did speak to them?” Lionpaw stopped short. He wasn’t sure why he’d expected them to <em> not </em>have heard from StarClan, especially Hollypaw, as a medicine cat apprentice. But… He’d thought that he was special for knowing his way around StarClan and for being friends with a StarClan cat. He was there almost every night and yet...If both Hollypaw and Jaypaw could also talk to StarClan, what did that leave him with?</p><p>“I didn’t,” Hollypaw confessed, “I stood guard.”</p><p>Oh, that changed things.</p><p>“I thought only medicine cats could talk to StarClan.” Lionpaw tried to keep the accusatory tone out of his voice, but wasn’t sure he was succeeding. Because of course it was <em> Jaypaw </em> , wasn’t it? He’d only really just begun to see it after Maplehade had mentioned it to him, but Jaypaw had been getting on Lionpaw’s nerves lately. With his jealousy and his attitude and Heatherpaw’s attention and the secrets ( <em> he’s blind and yet he sees more than you could ever </em> dream <em> of </em> . <em> Why would he not let you have this?) </em>. And now he had this, too?</p><p>Jaypaw took a step back, an odd look on his face.</p><p>Hollypaw was the one to speak. “Well, maybe it’s different for us because we’re apparently a part of a prophecy.”</p><p>“Right, maybe,” Lionpaw agreed half-heartedly, narrowing his eyes as he watched Jaypaw.</p><p>Jaypaw seemed to draw into himself. “Well this has been fun,” he began coldly as he brushed past. “Don’t worry, Lionpaw, since you hate me so much I’ll stay out of your hair from now on.”</p><p>Lionpaw swore he could feel his heart stop for a moment. He was sure he hadn’t said anything of the sort out loud. How could he have possibly picked up on that?</p><p>“What?” Hollypaw asked bewilderedly, watching Jaypaw stalk away.</p><p>“Of course I don’t hate him,” Lionpaw protested, because he <em> didn’t. </em> He wasn’t sure what he felt, but it definitely wasn’t hatred.</p><p>“You two have been at each other’s throats for a long time now.” Hollypaw glanced at Lionpaw disapprovingly. “I’m done being the mediator, okay? You two have to make this up on your own.”</p><p>“This isn’t my fault—” Lionpaw tried to protest.</p><p>“I’m not listening to either of you complain about each other anymore!” Hollypaw shook her head. “There are more important things at stake here. I hope you both realize that eventually.” With that, she turned and squeezed back out into the camp, leaving Lionpaw alone.</p><p>Lionpaw sat behind the nursery as the sun set. He wondered, as he was left in the dark, if he was the one in the wrong.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I don't want to spoil anything, but don't worry, I know what it looks like but Jaypaw's not about to switch his training around. I just feel the need to clarify that because I don't want to add to the already abhorrent ableism in the series.</p><p>If you have any questions, criticisms, or feedback (or maybe compliments... &lt;3) please feel free to let me know!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Did that scene in the Sight where Jaykit tells Leafpool he wishes he'd never been born bother anyone else? It bothered me that they just left it there. It really really bothered me. But I might be biased since Jay's been my favorite character since I was like, 11.<br/>Anyway, Have any questions? Concerns? Feedback? Please please please tell me your thoughts.<br/>My update schedule might be a little wack, but I promise I really do try to stay on top of things. None of my works are ever abandoned unless I tag them as such.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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